Luck of the Draw
by Aurora Ciel
Summary: Tenshi: a brothel that kidnaps girls and forces them into prostitution. Sakura's mission: rescue the girls and shut down Tenshi. But what happens when she comes across the one person she never expected to see again? SasuSaku
1. One

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…but I wish I could own Sasuke!**

**WARNINGS: Heavy sexual content, strong language, violence**

**EDITED: 3/6/2010**

* * *

_**She **__took it to be random chance._

_**He **__believed it an unfortunate coincidence._

_What neither of them realized was that this _

_was something far more __**complex**__;_

_something powerful, everlasting, and beyond their control._

_This was __**fate**__._

* * *

**_L U C K of the D R A W_**

**ONE**

The sound of her heart beating erratically along with her gasps for breath were all she could hear. Panic laced through her veins as another burst of adrenaline shot through her body, pushing her forward. Her two-inch tall sandals were doing nothing to help her, but eventually they just broke off from all her non-stop running.

She ducked behind a tree to try to catch her breath. Her sides were screaming in pain and her chest felt like it was being bound tighter and tighter with each breath. She wiped the sweat that was dripping down her forehead as she tried to listen.

A twig snapped just fifty-some yards from her.

She choked down another sob and forced herself to keep running, never looking back.

She gave up calling for help about twenty minutes ago. No one was around to hear her—except for _them. _And the more she yelled, the easier _they_ could track her.

She cursed under her breath when she stepped on a hard rock that pressed into her already bloody foot. Strands of her sweaty black hair fell into her face but she just brushed them aside, never stopping.

What had she done to deserve this? All she wanted to do was get away for the week and begin writing her novel in the cabin she'd rented in the middle of nowhere. And now where was she?

Running for her life.

A yelp escaped from her mouth as she tripped on a tree root; the trees of the forest around her suddenly swirling out of focus as she fell to the ground. She felt blood trickle down her knee from the force of the fall.

No longer able to get up, she tried to crawl away, but it was too late. She could hear _their_ footsteps now. One of _them_ chuckled. Two more appeared from trees in front of her.

How had _they_ managed to get in front of her? She gasped—_they_ were just toying with her. _They_ purposely wanted to tire her out. She let out a frustrated cry.

"Now don't be like that, beautiful," one said as the other two stood in front of her. _They_ were surrounding her.

"Please don't do this," she whispered pitifully.

This time, all three of _them_ laughed. The world was blurring; it was as if everything was going in slow motion. Suddenly there was a hot pain at the back of her head.

The world went black.

* * *

_**Konohagakure**_

Haruno Sakura sighed as she entered her patient's room. She cocked a hip and stuck her hand on it while one of her pink eyebrows arched.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time?" she asked, stepping in closer.

"Aw don't be like that, Sakura-chan!" the patient said with a grin as he slurped up more of the green gelatin he was currently _inhaling_.

Sakura glanced down at the clipboard in her hand. "It says here that you fractured three ribs, pulled your left shoulder out of the socket—_again_, _and_ nearly lost your big toe! Really Naruto, what am I going to tell Hinata-chan the day her boyfriend comes home in a body cast?"

Her blonde best friend shrugged, "I completed the mission?"

She narrowed her emerald eyes at him. "You are unbelievable. You do know that in order to be the next Hokage, you sort of have to be…oh, what's the word…_alive_?!"

Naruto licked his bowl, trying to get every last flavor of lime-y goodness before setting it aside; ignoring Sakura's comment, "Please, you're _nineteen_, Naruto!" He licked his lips and started to tug off his shirt when pain shot through his shoulder.

"Careful Naruto!" Sakura said quickly, dropping the clipboard and rushing over to hold his arm down. "You're not fully healed yet—you need to take things slowly. Let me help you."

Together they removed his black T-shirt, revealing tanned skin covering strong muscles. Scars littered his body—something that made Sakura wince at with every ninja patient she saw. Gently as possible, she placed her right hand on his left shoulder and began to flow green chakra into it. Naruto sighed as the healing warmth drifted through his body, centering on his shoulder. Once she was done with the shoulder, the medic-nin shifted her attention to his ribs and lastly his toe.

"Ugh, Naruto!" Sakura cried out indignantly. "Don't you ever _wash_ these things?!" He winked and she scowled as she delicately placed a healing hand on the offending toe. Once the young medic was finished, she promptly washed her hands in the sink next to Naruto's bed. He chuckled as he took a sip of his orange juice.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan. I feel much better now. No more stiffness."

"Happy to help." She smiled at him before jotting some notes down on her clipboard. "Just make sure to keep up those stretches I showed you and let me know immediately of any sharp pains."

"Will do, Doc," Naruto said with a salute.

"Now enough of this medical stuff," Sakura said suddenly; her tone of voice rising a bit. She pulled up a chair and rested her elbows on the table next to Naruto's bed. "Tell me all about the mission—what you can, at least."

Naruto grinned, tucking his arms back behind his head. "Well it took us about an hour to get to our location. Of course, we were outnumbered so I—"

"Ah, Sakura-sama?" A blonde nurse peeked her head into Naruto's room. "Tsunade-sama would like to meet with you in her office once you are finished with Uzumaki-san."

Sakura turned to Naruto, who waved his hand. "Go on; we'll finish this over dinner at Ichiraku's sometime this week."

"Great. Thanks Naruto!" She leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "Stay out of trouble. I'll be back later today."

She hurried down the hall and to the front entrance of the hospital. It was a beautiful May day—nearly June. The weather was warming up and birds were chirping happily as they built their nests. The children of Konoha were looking forward to spending their days playing in the streets and going to the beach.

The pink-haired medic entered the air conditioned Hokage building, nodding a greeting to two ANBU walking into an office. She climbed the stairs to her shishou's office, tucking her pink hair behind her ears before she knocked.

"Come in."

She slowly walked in the office, shutting the door quietly behind her. "Ah, Sakura-chan, come sit down."

Scratching the back of her neck, Sakura complied. Tsunade smiled somewhat nervously at her apprentice as she sat on the edge of her desk.

"What's up?"

"I have…a mission for you."

"Oh? What kind?"

Tsunade bit her lip—Sakura could easily tell that this would be either a very dangerous or very unpleasant mission…most likely both. She sat up straighter, waiting to her what her mentor had in store for her.

"It's somewhat of a rescue mission. You need to shut down an operation and rescue the…well the people involved."

"Okay…I'm confused."

Tsunade let out a puff of air, clearly struggling. She walked around her desk, trying to decide the easiest way to get it out. "Basically, this will be one of the hardest missions you have ever been on," she began. "It's a solo mission. A…_mature_ mission."

"Oh. One of those? Tsunade-shishou, I've been on seduction missions before, I think I can—"

Tsunade slammed her fist on her desk, creating a crack down the center. "No listen to me, Sakura! This is not like any mission you've ever been on. I've heard of these kinds, but I never hoped to have to hand out one! Not to you especially, but you're the only one qualified for it."

"W-What do you mean?"

The Hokage rubbed the bridge of her nose, sitting down in her chair. "At the border between Fire Country and Water Country is a brothel called Tenshi. It's in Water Country, but they take girls from Fire Country."

"What do you mean 'take'?"

"Kidnap. They kidnap girls who are alone and…force them into…submission."

"Submission? As in—"

"It's a _brothel_, Sakura. Anyway, they're taking girls only from Fire Country and Water Country isn't doing anything about it. It's up to us to save the girls. You need to find out who's running it, take them down, and get the girls back home safely."

"Why me?"

"Hinata is far too shy for such a task, Tenten is already on a mission, and Ino is still in physical therapy from her mission in April," Tsunade explained.

"What about an ANBU girl? I'm sure some of them are qualified. Himura Naomi definitely knows how to flaunt it—"

"Sakura, enough. I need someone who is skilled in strategy, strength, and intelligence. You're my apprentice, I know you can do this." The blonde got up again and began to pace.

The pink haired medic-nin bit her lip as she wondered what her next move would be. She knew she had the option of turning it down, being such a qualified medic and—while she hated to say it this way—such an asset to Konoha. She could easily refuse and say she was far too busy at the hospital and continue on with life. She would forget this conversation had ever happened.

Yet still, a part in the back of her mind, a very small, nearly forgotten spot, remembered a twelve year old girl waking up on a bench and vowing that she would prove herself to _him_. There was a high chance that he would never know about all the dangerous missions she'd been on, but that small thought alone made her decision.

"Alright," she looked up, determination settling on her face. "I'll do it."

Tsunade turned to her young apprentice with a mother's gaze. Her face was crumpled in worry and her eyes showed how much the Hokage didn't want Sakura to do this. But both women knew that there was only one ninja who could do the job—and she was sitting in the Hokage's office, waiting for orders.

"Very well." The blonde nodded her head somberly. She pulled out a manila folder and handed it to Sakura. "This is everything you need to know. This is who you need to become."

Sakura scanned the top paper quickly; she would study it further once she got back to her apartment. She was surprised at how similar it was to all the other missions she'd been on where she'd gone undercover.

**Name: **_Akiyama Rei  
_**Age: **_17  
_**Village: **_Mist  
_**Occupation: **_(Citizen) Student. Works in family store. Studies dance._

This girl seemed so…normal. As if it were actually some girl's biography she was reading. Tsunade made sure to give highly detailed background information she would have to learn. Sakura guessed it was because she would be there for a while and would need to know everything about this girl.

"Why seventeen?" she asked. "I just turned nineteen."

Tsunade turned around from the window she was looking out. "Nineteen is too old."

Her apprentice tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"At seventeen, you're still underage," a male voice said behind her. "More appeal for the buyers."

Sakura turned around. "Jiraya. I'm not surprised that you have knowledge on brothels…"

Jiraya sneered at her as he sat back on a couch next to one of Tsunade's bookshelves. "For your information, Tsunade-sama _asked_ for my help."

"Really? Why?"

"He can help us come up with a look for you," Tsunade explained. "He'll know what they…what they'll like."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. She felt the bile rising in her throat as her stomach seemed to be somersaulting. Suddenly this mission didn't seem like such a good idea.

"Okay, come over here." Jiraya pointed to the floor length mirror behind one of the doors in the Hokage's office. Reluctantly, the medic-nin got up from her seat, followed by her mentor.

"Let's start with the hair," Tsunade suggested. "Color?"

Sakura felt Jiraya's gaze travel from the top of her head down to her toes and back up again, yet she was surprised when she saw that his face was not at all lecherous like she was used to, but serious. He pursed his lips and squinted his eyes as he looked at her face.

"Try black."

Sakura did a quick concealment jutsu and suddenly her hair was a midnight black. She winced when she looked in the mirror—she'd been imagining someone else's hair in order to get the look and accidentally took the hair of the man that haunted her dreams.

All three were silent. With nearly identical skin tones and now identical hair, all Sakura had to do was darken her eye color and she would look like the female counterpart to Uchiha Sasuke. She swallowed heavily.

Jiraya recovered first. "No," he shook his head slowly as he tapped his mouth with his forefinger. "That's not right. Try dark brown."

Again Sakura changed her hair color, happy to rid herself of the painful memories. She didn't like the way she looked with brown hair. She frowned and turned to the pair standing to her left.

"I don't like brown."

"Well," Tsunade said. "We can't have you as a blonde. And red hair won't do. We'll just have to work with the black until we find a shade we like…"

They tried every shade they could think of, from raven blue to the darkest of browns—always avoiding that deep night sky black. Eventually Tsunade sighed and walked to her back cabinet for a bottle of sake. Jiraya relaxed on the couch again as Sakura sat on a window ledge, holding a few strands of her now bluish-black hair between her fingers.

A child laughed and she glanced out the window. She stood up quickly, leaning so her forehead was pressed up against the glass. Jiraya joined her by the window and looked at the little girl's dark hair as well. They looked at each other and Sakura felt a wave of chakra rush through her as she once again adjusted the concealment jutsu.

The moment of truth. Sakura stepped up to the mirror and her eyes widened at what she saw. Her hair was a rich ebony shade with a hint of deep purple. She heard a gasp behind her as she turned to see Tsunade standing in the doorway.

"It's perfect," she murmured. Sakura changed her eye color to a light blue that matched her hair and skin tone perfectly. For a moment she considered making this new look permanent, but then she realized that her name would have less meaning to it if she had a much darker appearance.

Jiraya smirked as he turned to the women. "Now for the wardrobe."

* * *

"Nope. Next!"

Sakura growled as she threw the white hat she was wearing on the ground. "Jiraya! I've tried everything from yellow dresses to pink skirts to jean shorts to purple shirts! There is nothing else! You have to make a decision!"

Tsunade downed a glass of sake before turning to the man. "What do you think isn't working? What do you suggest she wear?"

The old man took on a lecherous smirk as he turned to the medic-nin in question. "Well if you want my advice, I say she not wear anything at all—"

"JIRAYA!" two voices rang in unison.

"Okay, okay! Sheesh…" He mumbled to himself as he walked over to the clothing racks Tsunade had ordered into her office. He tossed various articles of clothing behind him, pausing with some but then deciding against it after several seconds.

Eventually, all of the clothing was in a big pile behind him. Sakura sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She stood up and faced the two older people in the room.

"Look, why don't I figure this part out? I'll go to a civilian store and see what I can find. I'll come back once I'm done," she suggested, straightening out her red tank top, running a hand down the silver zipper line to flatten it against her stomach.

Jiraya and Tsunade looked at each other before nodding and letting her go. It was obvious that the two needed to take a break as well. They gave her an hour to come back with something.

* * *

Sakura adjusted the strap of her purse so it sat on her other shoulder as she walked slowly through one of Konoha's department stores. Light music was playing in the background and the sound of hangers sliding against the clothing rack could be heard. People all over walked in small clusters, speaking in hushed voices as they discussed what they thought of different articles of clothing.

Occasionally someone would stare at her, because of her unusual pink hair, or because she was known as Tsunade-sama's apprentice, some even seemed to stare at what she was wearing. The medic glanced down at her outfit—red tank top with the Haruno symbol on the back, tan skirt over her black shorts, knee high boots. In the ninja world, this was an ideal outfit, however in the civilian world, Sakura had to admit that it was a somewhat strange sight. But hey, at least she wasn't wearing her thigh holster or her black gloves. Now that would just be overkill.

_Okay,_ she thought to herself. _Time to focus._ She sat down on a bench, letting all the sounds and smells of the store overwhelm her. She thought about the girl she was going to play for however long this mission would take. If she were actually this girl—Rei—what would she look for in the mall?

Sakura hadn't been able to read through the mission report when she first got it. Now she pulled it out and scanned over the personal background. The girl was a dancer and a student in high school.

_A dancer, huh,_ she thought, seeing a pair of jean capris that were torn in various places along the thigh. The cuffs at the bottom were also torn and ragged, as if the jeans were really several years old. _She'd want to show off her dancer legs then… _Sakura glanced down at her legs, while she was somewhat on the short side, her legs looked muscular enough to belong to a dancer. She just hoped she wouldn't be expected to perform anything, that could be trouble.

She found an outfit that seemed suitable and hurried home to change. She hopped across the rooftops of Konoha to get to get to the Hokage tower. Sakura decided not to change her hair until she reached her mentor's office, that way no one would be confused.

Before knocking on the door, she muttered the concealment jutsu, changing her hair and eye color. A command to enter was heard from the other side, so she opened the door, taking a breath as she walked inside the office.

Jiraya and Tsunade looked up and both of their mouths dropped as they took in Sakura's appearance. She did a slow turn so they could take the whole thing in.

"Sakura, you look perfect," Tsunade said with a smile.

Jiraya, on the other hand, had other ideas. "Is it going to be revealing enough? You want to catch their attention."

"But she doesn't want to be too appealing—they might decide to make her a specialty otherwise. That's why we encouraged more basic features for her," Tsunade countered.

"Well," Sakura interrupted. "I'm thinking Rei wanted to get away to practice her dance routine. So she takes a walk in the woods to clear her mind and give her some privacy. It's a bit chilly when she starts out, but after she gets walking she'll warm up, so she can take off her sweatshirt and…"

Sakura was wearing a gray, short-sleeved zip-up sweatshirt. She pulled it off to reveal a tight red halter top, exposing just a bit of midriff. Jiraya nodded approvingly.

"Good. A little sex appeal, but it doesn't seem like you're flaunting it."

"You look like you didn't expect to see anyone out there," Tsunade agreed. "And the shoes will be comfortable for you, too. Very normal looking."

Sakura glanced down at her feet. Black sneakers. Plain—plain was good. Any normal teenage girl would wear them. Sakura's next plan would be to beat up the clothes a bit so they didn't look brand new.

"One last thing before you go home, Sakura-chan," Tsunade said as Jiraya was leaving. Sakura turned around and faced her mentor. "I'm going to place a special seal on you, to…protect you."

"Seal? What kind?"

A flash of worry crossed Tsunade's eyes. "It's a contraception jutsu. It stops ovulation. In case you…well, just in case."

Sakura swallowed hard. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. She hoped that there would be no need for it. Tsunade motioned her closer and lifted the girl's shirt a bit higher than her navel.

"It'll look like a tattoo around your belly button," she explained. "No one will think anything of it." She placed a gentle hand on Sakura's tense stomach, beginning to create the seal.

Sakura nodded, looking out the window, trying to focus on anything else. She had no idea what would happen on this mission, but she hoped everything would turn out alright.

* * *

**Eh, so it's an alright start. More action to come! Next chapter, the bait is laid for the kidnapping…**


	2. Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…but I wish I could own Sasuke!**

**Thank you SO much for the great response! I'm happy to hear that everyone is as excited about this story as I am.**

**EDITED: 3/6/2010**

* * *

**TWO**

Despite the fact that it was only late morning, the sun seemed unbearably hot as it beat down on Sakura. The gravel of the dirt road crunched beneath her feet. She'd been walking for nearly two hours—that fact alone nearly driving her to the brink of insanity. Already she'd counted at least a dozen squirrels and more birds than she could name.

She ran a hand down the braid that lay against her neck. She usually wore her hair down, at a sensible length down to her shoulders. For some reason, though, she hadn't had the time to get it cut lately and it was now at least three inches longer than usual. Fate told her not to cut her hair—now she knew why. The single braid looked perfect with her dark purple-black hair. Naruto was so surprised when he first saw her new hair.

Sakura frowned. _Naruto._ He hadn't been too happy when he found out that she was going on a solo A-ranked mission for an unknown amount of time. She was secretly happy that she was forbidden to give him any more details of the mission. Surely the self-proclaimed future Hokage would've blown a gasket. Since he'd only returned from his own mission two days ago, it was hard for the kunoichi to get her best friend to let go of her as she left the village. She smiled softly—while the blonde was a bit melodramatic, she was glad to have him.

Eventually, a dingy bar came into view. Sakura's heart skipped a beat. Tsunade had told her this was the place where all of the girls were reportedly last seen. Jiraya had a hunch that this may be where the kidnappers of Tenshi selected their next victims. So, naturally, Sakura had to make an appearance in the rundown bar. She adjusted the backpack straps on her shoulders and quickly fixed any stray hairs on her head before pushing the door open.

The inside was larger than it looked from outside. The whole place was filled with shady characters—most of them looking drunk, horny, or ready to kill. Sakura's light blue eyes widened slightly. This wasn't exactly her cup of tea. No one paid her much notice as she walked up to the bar and sat down.

"What can I get ya?" a heavy set woman with a raspy voice asked as she pressed her cigarette into an ashtray. Sakura eyed the cancer stick for another moment before looking back up at the barmaid.

She cleared her throat, trying to play the part of a nervous teenager in uncomfortable circumstance. "U-um, do you have iced tea?"

"Sweetened or unsweetened?" the woman grunted.

"Sweetened if you have it, please."

The woman gave Sakura another once over when she said please. Apparently she wasn't used to manners. Or hygiene. She set a can filled with sugar in front of Sakura and slid a glass of iced tea in front of her. Sakura took the hint and sweetened it herself to her liking. Again the woman was surprised when she was thanked.

As she stirred the sugar into her beverage, Sakura slowly looked around the perimeter of the room. Several large men were playing pool in a corner, trying to impress two women wearing blood red lipstick and questionably short dresses. In another area, a group of fat old men were playing cards and smoking cigarettes. One greedily drew a stack of chips from the center into his pile as his companions groaned.

"So what's a pretty little thing like yourself doing all the way out here by yourself?" a voice asked suddenly.

Sakura whirled around to see a man with light green hair and dark tan skin sitting on the bar stool next to her. His beady gray eyes looked her up and down as a smirk quirked in the corner of his mouth. Sakura's hand tingled with the urge to slap him, but she had a feeling that this may be one of the guys from the brothel, so she tried to put a shy look on her face.

"Hey bro, who's this gorgeous girl?" another man with turquoise hair and the same skin tone as the first man asked as he approached them.

The green haired man smirked at his companion. "Oh, this is my new friend…um—"

"R-Rei," Sakura made sure to stutter her name, as if she wasn't used to male attention. She'd done many missions where flirting was required and she knew that men liked when they made girls nervous. She smoothed the hair around her face. "What are your names?"

"I'm Goro. This is my baby brother Jiro," the green haired guy—Goro—jerked his thumb at Jiro. Each looked to be in their late twenties and was wearing black pants and white wife beaters. One of them—Jiro, Sakura figured—was trying to be more like the other brother.

"So what are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?" Jiro asked.

Sakura made herself blush and she looked down to where her hands were clasped in her lap. She quickly drank some more tea before turning back to her new companions.

"I-I'm a dancer. I have a recital coming up soon and I wanted to get away so I could practice with complete privacy. I'm going out to the woods where no one can get to me," she said quietly. She pretended not to notice the brothers exchange a look.

"Dancer, huh?" Goro's dark eyes scanned over her body once more. "Yeah, I can tell. You've got a great body—very toned. I bet your boyfriend loves it."

"Oh," again she blushed. "I don't have a b-boyfriend…"

"Really?" Jiro said, turning to his brother. "That's a shocker. You're gorgeous."

_They've _so_ taken the bait, _she thought to herself as she finished her tea and paid the bar woman. She turned back to the two men. "Well it was nice talking to you, but I've got to get going. Maybe I'll see you guys on my way back."

"How long are you staying out there?"

"I packed a tent. I'm going home tomorrow morning." She gave a small, hopeful smile. "Will I see you guys tomorrow?"

Both glanced at each other and grinned. "Oh you can _definitely_ expect to see more of us."

**These are definitely the guys, **Inner Sakura concluded. **Oh girl, we are **_**so**_** good! And SO hot!**

Sakura gave a shy smile and a little wave as she walked out. It was nice to be able to sit down for a while, but she'd gotten antsy on the hard bar stool and was happy to be back outdoors, breathing _clean_ air.

About thirty minutes later, Sakura got the distinct feeling that she was being watched. Her heart skipped a beat, but then she remembered that this was a good thing. She pretended to be oblivious as she entered the forest, walking past various bits of foliage and brush. A tree branch caught on her sweatshirt sleeve, when she paused to unhook it, she heard the crackle of dead leaves. She glanced down, the forest floor was covered in them. Someone had taken a step.

Again, she acted as if she didn't notice anyone's presence and finally stopped under a large oak tree that gave plenty of shade to the clearing she was in. She hummed quietly to herself as she set down her bag. She pulled off her sweatshirt slowly, hoping the manner she used to unzip it and tug her arms out of the sleeves was enticing enough.

Sakura pulled out an old walkman—she sure was behind in the technology world—and hooked it onto the side of her pants. She stuck the earbuds into each ear and pretended to turn it on. She may have been acting the part of oblivious teenager, but she at least wanted to know when they got close to her.

Slowly she reached down, glad she was so naturally flexible as she touched her palms to the ground, spreading her feet out. Then she reached up, doing various arm and leg stretches. After dropping down to the splits, she started doing an imaginary dance routine she'd come up with the night before.

Eventually she heard the telltale sounds of someone approaching. One coming from either side of her. She closed her eyes, trying to breathe deeply as she arched her back and pointed a toe.

**They sure are sloppy, **Inner Sakura noted as each footstep was heard. Branches were snapped and once or twice bushes moved. Despite the fact that she could feel their presences without even needing to use her chakra, Sakura remained calm. She imagined a beat in her mind, keeping to it. She pliéd and then transitioned into a graceful arabesque.

They must've been just a few feet from her. As she wiped some sweat from her brow, she felt them pause. They were watching her. She tried not to smile, while she wasn't a trained dancer, she felt a bit of pride kick in. Deciding to give them a bit of a show, she folded the bottom of her top up so it resembled a sports bra. She pulled her left leg up behind her into the scorpion position and then twisted into a few turns. She did several leaps and pulled her leg up so it was nearly parallel to her upper body.

She briefly wondered if they were waiting for her to tire out—to make the catch easier. Sakura decided to play off that idea and soon made herself slow her movements down and start panting. After another half hour, she sat down against a tree and pulled out a water bottle. Being so heavily trained for so long, nearly two hours of dancing didn't really affect her at all, but she knew it would to any citizen girl.

It was when she closed her eyes and draped an arm over her face that she heard them moving again. She could feel them getting closer. She felt odd—she knew she was being preyed upon and her instincts were screaming at her to attack. Yet she sat still, feigning obliviousness, and waited for them to—

This time a branch snapped nearly five feet away from her. Anyone—trained or not—would've heard that. She opened her eyes, pretending to look around.

"H-Hello?" she called. "Is anyone there?"

No answer. She picked up her things and packed them back into her backpack. Sakura stood up and started to walk away; she'd taken just a few steps when Goro stepped into the light.

She made sure her face had shock written all over it. "Goro-san? What are you doing here?"

"You sure are a wonderful dancer, Rei-chan," he said quietly, a lecherous smirk on his face. "Why don't you come with me?"

"N-no thanks. I think I'm just gonna go home early." She tried to step past him, but he sidestepped as well, again blocking her way.

"Now why would you do a thing like that?"

Sakura cleared her throat, trying to find a way around him. "Um, I'm not feeling very well. I think I might just find an inn and stay there for the night or something…"

Goro's smirk bloomed to a full-on grin. "I live pretty close to here. Why don't you just come back with me? I can take care of you."

"Goro-san, please, just let me leave." This time, the green haired man let her pass. She bit her lip; had she picked the wrong guys?

"I don't think so." There was a sharp yank on her braid as she was pulled against his chest. Sakura yelped in 'surprise' and struggled against his hold on her waist. He covered her mouth with his beefy hand and she bit down on it as hard as she could. She thought she tasted blood but didn't have time to consider it when Goro pulled his hand back to inspect the damage done. She elbowed him in the stomach and took off running.

The branches of lower trees kept catching her backpack, so she dropped it and sped up, glancing behind her occasionally. Jiro had joined his brother in the chase. She should've known he would make an appearance sooner or later.

"Don't be like this, beautiful!" Goro's deep voice called out. Sakura realized that not crying would make her look very suspicious, so she reached deep back into her memories to find something to trigger some tears.

_A lone path lit only by the moon. Young Sakura took a deep breath as she approached a small bench—_

"Not that," she murmured to herself. "Anything but that!" But it was too late. Already the memory was being flooded back into her mind as if there was no pause button.

'_What are you doing here, Sakura?' His deep eyes narrowed when he saw her approach. _This time Sakura let out a real cry of pain. Her heart was breaking all over again. Tears slowly slid down her face. _I don't want to remember this, _she said to herself. _Too much pain…_

They were getting closer now. She'd been so immersed in the memory of that night that she hadn't realized how much she'd slowed down. The tears were falling heavily now as those painful words echoed in her mind once more. The ache in her heart that she had worked so hard to get over was returning, taking over her very soul.

Sakura fell to her hands and knees, crawling away from her attackers as she cried out. They were standing around her now; she could see their feet in her peripheral vision.

'_I have a family and I have friends, but if you're gone…'_

She was loosing control. _It's not supposed to be like this! _she thought angrily. _I'm supposed to be in complete control of the situation! _

The angry face of the boy she used to love wouldn't leave her mind. Even as Goro said something smug to her. Jiro lifted something in his hand and brought it down to her head, hard.

'_To me…'_

Sakura let out a cry of pain as the world spun and she fell face first into the dirt of the forest floor. She could feel unconsciousness tugging at her mind; it was growing dark at the edges. Inner Sakura was no where to be found.

She was willing to let the darkness envelope her—anything to get rid of those painful images. Finally her eyelids closed one last time. The last thing she saw in her mind was Sasuke's back as he walked away seven years ago.

'_It'll be the same as being alone!'_

* * *

**Okay so the first few chapters will be more setting up the story, then the real action will begin! **

**Please let me know what you thought! **


	3. Three

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own all the OC characters. They are the product of my strangely wired mind.**

**EDITED: 3/6/2010**

* * *

**THREE**

Sakura came back into consciousness slowly—first, all she could feel were the aches in her joints, then she smelled a strange scent that was similar to burning leaves, finally she heard the muffled voices of a whispered conversation happening somewhere nearby.

She slowly blinked her eyes open, making sure to keep up her concealment jutsu. Glancing around, Sakura saw that she was in a kitchen, lying underneath a low cupboard. Tilting her head upwards so her vision was upside down, she noticed several different teas boiling along with various types of rice and noodles.

"I see you're awake."

Sakura jerked her head back down to see a girl sitting on a counter looking at her. Her hair was a light chestnut color with the two front locks dyed a light lilac. Sakura blinked several times before sitting up slowly.

"Where am I?" she asked, rubbing the back of her neck.

The girl snorted, taking a bite of the green apple in her hand before answering. "You, my friend, are one of us _lucky_ girls who get to work at Tenshi."

She perked up slightly—so far, her mission was going according to plan. "Tenshi? What's that?"

The girl leaned in closer. "It's Hell."

"Haruka! Go back to the bunks!" a sharp feminine voice snapped. The girl rolled her teal colored eyes and walked towards a swinging door that revealed a lone hallway.

"Hai, Naomi-sama," she muttered, tossing her apple core behind her shoulder. She didn't even care when it rolled under a pile of bagged spices.

Sakura glanced over to see a tall woman with dark emerald hair walking towards her. The woman's hair was pulled into a high, tight bun and she wore a plum colored business suit with matching high heels that clicked on the cobblestone floor of the kitchen.

"You," she snapped, pointing a long maroon fingernail at Sakura, "Come with me."

Sakura glanced at the door the other girl went through before muttering a quiet "Hai." She looked around the kitchen, seeing girls of all ages and appearances working.

The woman led Sakura past a lobby-like front room, into an office. She shut the door behind them and pointed at a shiny wooden chair that sat in front of her desk. "Sit."

Sakura did as she was told, making sure to keep her eyes down and keep up her part. She could feel the woman measuring her up, when she glanced up the woman's cold gray eyes met her own. Sakura could feel her heart pounding, but she tried to remain calm; the last thing she needed was to blow her cover this early on in the mission.

"So, did Haruka tell you where you are?"

"W-who?"

"Haruka. The snotty girl with the purple streaks in her hair," the woman explained, sitting down at her desk and filing a nail.

"Oh. Um, not really. Just that this place is called Tenshi?" she replied quietly.

The woman pursed her lips. "Hm. Well, my name is Naomi. I run Tenshi. I trust you met my two sons, Goro and Jiro?"

Sakura straightened up slightly and cleared her throat. "H-hai, I met them."

Naomi snorted. "You're kind of quiet, aren't you?" Sakura just looked up at her and shrugged. "Well, that's okay. They'll like that…"

"'They', Naomi-san?"

She smirked. "Yes, our…customers. Shy girls really seem to be quite the hot commodity this season." Her grin grew even wider with Sakura's disgusted expression. She chuckled. "Oh, don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet. Listen, little girl, you can either stay here and do as I say, or you can die an unpleasant death. Which will it be?"

Sakura widened her eyes and made sure to make a big swallow. "I-I'll stay."

Naomi grinned. "That's what I thought. So, what's your name?"

"Rei."

"And how old are you?"

"S-Seventeen."

"She's a dancer," a voice said from behind Sakura. She turned around to see Goro and Jiro standing in the doorway.

"Wont that be fun, Okaa-san?" Jiro asked with a laugh, elbowing his brother. Sakura turned back to see Naomi writing this new information down.

Something buzzed on the computer on Naomi's desk. She hit a button which caused an image of the front room to appear on the screen. She turned back to her sons.

"Ah, it's Fujimoto-san. Go check him in—send him to room five with Cho again. He liked her." As the two men were about to walk out, Naomi got another idea as she looked at Sakura. "On second thought, why don't we let Rei here give him a try. What do you say, Rei-chan? Don't you just wanna jump in the game?"

This time, Sakura freaked out for real. She hadn't planned to be going this far in yet! She hadn't even been there for a whole hour and already she was at risk of losing her virginity to some creepy pervert.

**Get us outta here, girl! **Inner Sakura urged all the sudden. **Make a run for it!**

_No way, _Sakura thought back. _I just got here, I can't give up now._

**Well then think of something! And quick!**

"Please!" she shouted suddenly. All three of them looked back at her, clearly surprised. Naomi looked back at her expectantly. Sakura scratched the back of her head.

"At home, my family owned our own store. So…I'm really good at cleaning. I noticed this place was a little—" She paused at the look Naomi gave her. "Well…I mean, I was just thinking about how many more customers you could get if you had, um…a clean business?"

Naomi seemed to be considering her offer. Sakura prayed to Kami and any other higher beings up there that this worked.

"A clean front room _could _get more customers…" she said, tapping her long nails on her arm.

"This place will seem more professional," Sakura continued.

Naomi looked back from her sons to Sakura. "Well, we _are_ fully roomed right now. We actually didn't _need_ another girl…" She shot a look to the two men, who smiled sheepishly.

"Alright, so what are you saying here—you clean for us every day, and in exchange, I won't make you…"

"_Service_ your customers," Sakura finished.

"Unless we get a high paying customer who asks for you. Then all bets are off."

That threw Sakura off. She took a moment to think it through. **Come on, do you really think someone is going to specifically ask for you? **Inner Sakura reasoned.** The odds of that happening are slim to none. Just agree!**

Sakura nodded. "Deal." Naomi nodded and turned back to her sons. "Boys, send him up to Cho. Oh, and send Haruka in here."

She closed the door and sat down at her desk, eyeing Sakura once more. After a while, she grew uncomfortable with the constant staring.

"What?" she asked quietly, playing with her braid when it flipped over her shoulder.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed. You're smarter than I figured, Rei. No one has ever tried that before. You've got spunk, and I like that, so that's why I'm giving you this chance. If you mess this up though, that's it."

Sakura nodded her head several times. "I understand. Thank you." She felt odd for thanking her kidnapper, but it seemed like the right thing to do. She almost laughed at the look on Naomi's face when she said that. Before her new "boss" could respond, there was a knock at the door.

The purple haired girl poked her head in and gave a snarky little smirk. "You _rang_?"

"Haruka, this is Rei, our new cleaning girl. Take her to the bunks and find her a bed. Show her around and then show her the cleaning supply closet," Naomi ordered. The girl gave Sakura a once-over before walking out of the office silently.

Sakura hurried to catch up with Haruka until they were walking side by side. "I'm Rei," she said with a small smile.

"Haruka," she answered, glancing sideways at Sakura. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Haruka came to a door leading to a flight of wooden stairs. "Up here are the bunks where we stay. You can pick one out."

Haruka led the way up stairs, occasionally skipping one or stepping lightly to avoid cracks or missing pieces of steps.

"So, tell me this. How did you end up getting cleaning duty instead of playing sex muffin like the rest of us?" Haruka asked in her monotonous voice, opening another door to reveal a large room with dozens of bunk beds in rows. Several girls sat in various clusters, speaking in low whispers.

"I just asked her for it. She said they were actually over-stocked with girls and didn't really even need me," Sakura said quietly as she looked around. "I was really just lucky, I guess."

Haruka snorted, glancing back at her. "Yeah, _lucky_." She pointed to a bunk where a small blonde girl was sitting. "This is my bunk. You can have the one next to it, if you want."

Sakura sat down on the lower bunk next to Haruka's. As Haruka climbed onto her own bunk, Sakura looked over at the girl sitting across from her. The girl had pale skin and her light blonde hair hung loosely near her waist. Her blue-gray eyes flickered up to Sakura when she felt her gaze.

"Rei, this is Kumiko. Kumiko-chan, meet Rei. She's the new cleaning girl," Haruka explained monotonously. She flipped back onto her bed, pulling out a little hacky-sack and tossing it into the air.

Sakura smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah same." Kumiko's voice was high and almost squeaky. Sakura's eyes widened with surprise—she looked at the girl's body and noticed Kumiko's lack of chest and hips.

"How old are you?" she asked quietly.

Kumiko looked down at her lap, swinging her legs up so they were resting on the bed while she leaned on one of the poles at the foot of the bed. "Sixteen," she said.

Haruka swung her head down to face Sakura. "Kumiko-chan is popular here because she looks so innocent and pure. And she still looks really young. The pervs love her."

Sakura watched the pain grow on Kumiko's face, as if she was ashamed by her own appearance. She hadn't noticed how broken either of the girls looked before, but now that she could look into their eyes, the grief and misery were clearly there.

"How long have you been here?" she asked Kumiko.

"Just six months. I shouldn't be complaining, I haven't even been here that long. Not like some of the other girls…" Kumiko glanced up at Haruka, who glared and turned away from the two, clearly not wanting to talk about her stay at Tenshi.

"Haruka-chan is already twenty-one, but even I don't know how long she's been here. Some girls say she was the first one taken, even," Kumiko whispered, leaning in closer.

"When did Tenshi…begin?"

"I don't know for sure. At least five years ago…" Sakura's jaw dropped. To be trapped in this hell-hole for even five _days_ seemed like enough torture to last a lifetime. She was no psychiatrist, but Haruka's anti-authority, 'I-don't-take-crap-from-anyone' attitude was beginning to make sense. It was a defense mechanism.

"I…heard that customers like underage girls better. Is that true?" Sakura asked, trying to pull the topic away from Haruka.

Kumiko shrugged. "Some do. Why, how old are you?"

"I'm…" she hesitated, nearly slipping. "Seventeen."

The young girl smiled. "So you're a younger one. It's nice having someone closer to my age around here."

"What do you mean?"

"Most of the girls are closer to twenty—Haruka's age. Younger girls are harder to get because it's rarer for them to be alone for Jiro and Goro to take," Kumiko explained. "I love Haruka-chan like an older sister, but we _are_ five years apart. We're going through different life stages, you know? I'm barely a teenager and she's already an adult."

Sakura smiled, feeling a little bad about having to deceive her two new friends. She decided she would tell them who she really was when the time was right. Maybe they could even help her.

"Well, I'll always be there for you," she said softly. Kumiko reached her hand over and grabbed hers.

"Same here."

Haruka flipped her head down again, creating a curtain around herself and Sakura. "Come on, Rei-chan, I should show you the supply closet so you can begin cleaning this pigsty."

Jiro appeared in the doorway. "Kumiko," he barked, looking over at her bunk. "You have a customer in one hour. Chiyo and Megumi are waiting for you in room twelve to help you get ready."

Kumiko paled a bit at the news, but nodded meekly. Sakura bit her lip and watched as Haruka flipped down and sat down next to her best friend. The older girl wrapped her tan arms around the petite one next to her, running her hand through her hair to calm her.

"Just go to that special place," Haruka whispered, her lips pressed up against the girl's hair. "It'll be over before you know it."

"Kumiko! Now!" Jiro barked. Sakura and Haruka watched their friend slowly descend the staircase, trying to keep her face brave. It broke Sakura's heart.

"Come on," Haruka said a few minutes later. She stood up and grabbed Sakura by the arm. "I'll show you the supply closet."

The two walked downstairs in silence, but Sakura didn't really mind. It gave her time to think and process information.

Haruka led her past the front room, where several men were sitting. Some looked embarrassed to be there, others looked like they were barely able to keep it in their pants. Sakura glared at all of them, hoping they would one day regret what they'd done to these poor girls. She made a silent vow, not only to herself but to Haruka and Kumiko, that she _would_ shut down Tenshi and lock up Naomi and her sons for good. She would not give up until that day came.

She followed the older girl past the kitchen to where an old closet was. The supplies looked like they hadn't been used in years, but at least they were well-equipped. Sakura smirked to herself when she remembered that she could use cleaning as an excuse to do some digging around the place and maybe do a little eavesdropping, too.

Inner Sakura leaned back in a chair, kicking her feet up onto a table. **Really, it's unbelievable how genius we are. And, not to mention, we're drop dead gorgeous. Come to think of it—we're a triple threat! Smokin' hot, freaking brilliant, **_**and**_** a kickass shinobi!**

Sakura snorted at her Inner Self, causing Haruka to look back at her with a questioning glance.

"Something funny?" she asked with that same bored tone.

Sakura froze for a second. "Er…I just think it's funny how dusty all this stuff is. Obviously I'm the first cleaning girl they've ever had."

Haruka blinked slowly at her, then glanced back at the cleaning supplies and let out what Sakura assumed to be a laugh. "Hm. I suppose you're right."

The young medic picked up a rag and a bottle of window cleaner. "I guess I'll start with this then."

As she cleaned the windows and mirrors of the brothel, Haruka followed; silent at first, but then the girls warmed up to each other. They talked for hours before Sakura realized they'd gone through the entire brothel and it was dark outside now.

Goro appeared in front of them and crossed his arms. "It's just after ten. Rei, I'll let it slide because it's your first day, but Haruka, you know the rules. In the bunks after ten."

Haruka bowed, her purple hair falling over one eye as she stood up straight again. "Sorry, Goro-sama."

He arched a green eyebrow and licked his lips, looking up and down her body. "I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me, Haruka-_chan_."

Fire burned in Haruka's eyes as he chuckled. Sakura quickly stepped in between the two.

"Sorry, Goro-sama, but Haruka-chan promised she'd help me put my supplies away. You know how your mother wants the place clean—you wouldn't want her to find out that you were preventing that, would you?"

Goro whirled his face over so it was inches away from Sakura's. He stood nearly a head taller than she so he bent down a bit so she could see the anger in his eyes.

"You little bitch. I ought to throw you into one of these rooms and—"

"That won't be necessary, Goro," Naomi said sternly, stepping around a corner. She wrapped a tight hand around Sakura's shoulder, pulling the girl close. When Goro walked away, Naomi shoved Sakura so her back was up against the wall.

"I hope you didn't think that by getting cleaning duty meant you have some kind of special privileges. Because you don't," she snapped. "You are just as lowly as the rest of these girls, but you get your virtue intact. Do not push me, girl. Next time, I will not stop my son."

Sakura swallowed and tried to calm her racing heart. She nodded and made sure to keep her eye level below Naomi's, remembering that she heard it was an ancient sign of respect or something.

Naomi pursed her lips and shoved Sakura into Haruka's arms. "Goro was right, Haruka. You know the rules. Help Rei put her things away and then get upstairs. If we catch you again, there will be big consequences."

As she turned to walk away, both girls bolted down the hallway. They didn't stop running until they reached the safety of the bunk room. They fell back onto Sakura's bed, trying to catch their breath.

"Okay," Sakura said a few minutes later. "That woman is really scary."

Haruka smiled and sat up, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "I know. For a second there, I really thought she was going to kill you…"

Sakura knew that she was too strong for Naomi to really hurt her, but she also knew that her size was misleading and most people at Tenshi probably figured her to be a 'delicate little flower.'

Boy would they be surprised once they found out who she really was. The apprentice of the Godaime of Konoha. A Jounin. One of the highest regarded kunoichi in Konoha.

**Oh yeah, **Inner Sakura smirked, pounding her fist into her palm. **There will be blood.**

Sakura's little rant was cut short when a weary Kumiko dragged herself over to her bunk. Sakura sat up quickly, trying to see if her young friend was okay, but the lights went out at ten o'clock so all she could see was the light glow of Kumiko's light skin.

Haruka patted Sakura's shoulder and then climbed into her own bunk. Sakura lay down on her bed, trying to focus more on the feel of the thin, uncomfortable mattress and her lumpy pillow than the soft cries coming from the bed next to her. Eventually, she could hear other girls crying as well. It broke Sakura's heart over and over again until she felt a warm tear slide down her cheek.

_Kami-sama,_ she prayed silently. _Send me the strength to get through this and help these girls. I am afraid I will not be able to do this on my own…please help me._

She glanced over at Kumiko's bed, seeing Haruka lying next to her. She held the younger girl in her arms, humming a quiet lullaby until she fell asleep. Sakura rolled on to her other side, remembering a time when her own best friend had held her as she cried herself to sleep.

Sakura quickly shook her head. Why was she thinking about _him_ so much recently? She blinked several times and tried to fall asleep.

Much to the kunoichi's dismay, all she dreamt about that night were the deep, all-knowing eyes of a certain Uchiha.

* * *

**Disturbing, yes, I know. But please remember that this story will have heavy sexual content. If you're bothered by this, then don't even bother continuing….**

**(Oh and ps, not all of the sexual content will be bad…if you catch my drift ;) )**


	4. Four

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its affiliate belong to ****Masashi Kishimoto****, I am merely borrowing his characters to write what we all wish would happen…**

**EDITED: 3/6/2010**

* * *

**FOUR**

_**One Week Later**_

While Sakura had no experience in cleaning services aside from her old household chores as a child and the occasional spring cleaning in her apartment, she found that she was pretty good at cleaning things. Not that it took much skill, but she discovered that she had a knack for making things sparkle and look better than they were.

After cleaning the windows and washing all the floors, Tenshi was actually beginning to look like a presentable business. Not that that was Sakura's goal, but she knew she had to keep Naomi pleased if she wanted to keep her virginity.

As she scrubbed a sponge over the tiled sink of a bathroom, a slightly comforting task because it brought back memories of when she would do the same thing at home, Sakura reflected on the past week. She'd learned a lot about her two new friends, Haruka and Kumiko, and she'd learned some things about Jiro and Goro from all the stories the girls liked to tell her. Apparently the two brothers were more brawn than brains and Sakura's two new friends enjoyed finding ways to outwit the two men. It was one of their only forms of entertainment aside from spending time together.

While she'd known from the start that the two brothers wouldn't be a threat when she took down Tenshi, Sakura was a bit relieved to be completely assured of their incompetence in the thinking department. So far, her biggest problem would be Naomi. She was smart and strong—not as strong as Sakura in any comparison, but she would probably be able to hold her own for a while if it came down that. Naomi was also a big thinker, a planner. She probably was prepared for any attempts of rescue or escape.

Sakura frowned; she hadn't thought about that before and knew she would always have to be two steps ahead of Naomi. She decided the next step would be to find out as much about Tenshi as she could, figure out the inner-workings and how well-equipped Naomi was. Sakura knew there was only one person who could give her the information she needed.

She gathered up her bucket of soapy water and sponge, making her way down the hall towards the kitchen. A shudder let loose through her body as she could hear the cries of a girl in one of the rooms; that infamous thumping sound in a repeating pattern was muffled by the thin wall.

Hurrying past the service rooms, Sakura found who she was looking for as she entered the kitchen. She walked over to the sinks, dumping out the dirty water and rinsing out the bucket.

"Hey, Haruka-chan," she said as she watched the water fill up in the bucket. "What are you up to?"

Even with her back turned to the purple haired girl, Sakura knew Haruka was rolling her eyes. "Apparently one of the customers was a little sick and now the flu is spreading around here like an epidemic." She snorted. "And guess who Naomi put in charge of getting the girls better?"

Sakura laughed, turning the taps so the water stopped and pulling the now empty bucket over the high rim of the stainless steel sink. She tossed the sponge in, placing both in the supply closet just a few feet away from the kitchen.

"Well, I'm done cleaning the bathrooms. Want some help?" Haruka smirked, handing Sakura a pile of cool, wet rags. She placed a few more bowls of hot soup on a cart and led the way up to the bunks.

As Haruka distributed bowls to the ailing girls, Sakura laid wet rags across their foreheads to calm their fevers. The girls either moaned in discomfort or smiled gratefully. Being a medic-nin, Sakura felt the urge to heal these girls; all she would have to do was reach her hand out and give some calming chakra to quell their fevers. She bit her lip, resisting the temptation to heal and cure all.

"Come on," Haruka said. "We can take the long way back to the kitchen so it seems like we're doing work." Sakura smiled and followed her companion.

As the two walked down the stairs in comfortable silence, she tried to think of a way to bring up the topic of Tenshi's history to Haruka. Lucky for her, Haruka seemed to notice the curiosity burning in her eyes and sighed.

"If there's something you want to ask me, go for it," her low voice droned.

Sakura quirked her mouth to the side, tugging on her braid subconsciously. "Well…I was just wondering about Tenshi's history. Like, how it began."

Haruka kept looking forward as they walked down a hallway. "No one knows exactly for sure when Tenshi started, because no one really wants to strike up that conversation with Naomi or her sons. We just guess by who's been here the longest."

"How…how long have _you_ been here?"

Haruka paused for a moment before closing her eyes and saying quietly, "Since I was fourteen."

Sakura felt her eyes widen considerably. She stopped walking and her jaw dropped, "That's…that's…."

"Seven years, I know."

"But—how have you survived? It would kill me to be here for that long," Sakura asked once she recovered from the initial shock.

Haruka shrugged, "I just take it a day at a time, hoping that one day someone will save me from this damn hellhole."

Sakura desperately wanted to tell her friend that _she_ was that person going to save her, save them all. But she knew now wasn't the time, not when she still didn't have a plan and didn't know enough information.

"Do you know why Naomi started this?"

Haruka scowled. "No idea. I can't imagine anyone wanting to start this kind of…business. She must've had a messed up childhood or something."

_That's still no excuse,_ Sakura thought to herself. _Nearly all my friends had a messed up childhood and none of us are kidnapping girls and forcing them into being sex slaves._

"All I know is, she makes a pretty good profit from this," she continued. "There's supposedly this…ninja organization that uses this place to hide out. The leader made a deal with Naomi—they'd protect Tenshi if she let them have meetings there and they could use the girls, too."

Sakura felt her heart skip a beat. _A ninja organization? It couldn't be…_

"Do you remember the name of it? The organization?"

Haruka paused, running a hand through her hair. "No. But it started with an _A_."

"…Akatsuki?"

She looked back. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I…I have friends who are ninja and they'd mentioned it before," Sakura said quickly. "I'm surprised a group like Akatsuki would rely on a dump like _this_ for secret meetings."

Haruka shrugged. "I guess that's the whole point. No one would expect them to come here of all places. But I don't even know if this is true—I've just heard rumors and stuff."

"Have you ever seen anyone that you thought to be from Akatsuki here?"

"No. They always come at night. I've heard them talking before. I just don't know if it's actually Akatsuki," she explained.

Sakura bit her lip. This made things trickier than she'd expected. Naomi could have Akatsuki to help her within a moment's notice. _I wonder how she knows them…_

"Rei!" Naomi shouted suddenly. "Get down here! And get the broom!"

Both girls rolled their eyes at each other and Sakura began to make her way to the front room.

"I'll walk with you," Haruka offered. "I've got nothing better to do since Kumiko still isn't feeling well."

Sakura beamed at her friend and led the way down the hall. They cut through the kitchen to get to the supply closet. The kunoichi grabbed a broom and dust pan, dragging the broom behind her as she looked for the mess that she had to clean. And she'd just washed those floors, too.

Someone had tracked dirt in all over the front entryway. She sighed and swept up the dirt, then tossed it back outside. As she made her way back to the supply closet where Haruka was waiting, she heard Naomi talking to a customer.

"I'm sorry; it looks like nearly all our girls are sick with the flu. Those that aren't already have appointments set. Would you like to reschedule?"

A gruff voice groaned. "We don't really have the time to reschedule. You're sure there's no one else?"

A pause. "Wait a minute. Rei!"

Sakura froze mid-step. She slowly turned around to see Naomi talking to two men who had their backs to her.

Naomi smirked and curled her pointer finger towards her, "Come here."

The medic looked back for Haruka, but she was already gone. Heart pounding, she stepped towards Naomi.

"Y-Yes, Naomi-sama?"

Naomi grinned back at the black haired man. "This will be fun. Rei-chan here is a first-timer. You're in for a real _treat_, sir."

Sakura felt like her eyes were going to pop out of her head. She turned and suddenly she realized how familiar that hair was. It was the wardrobe that threw her off—black on black.

The man turned around and Sakura gasped as she came face to face with none other than Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

_**Earlier That Day…**_

Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes as Karin continued to whine. Suigetsu and Juugo seemed to be just as annoyed as the Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun, I can't believe you're going to a brothel. Of all the places that you've taken us, this is definitely the worst," she pouted, pushing her thick black glasses up higher against her nose.

He sighed, running a hand through his dark spiky hair. "Hn. I heard from a reliable source that Akatsuki has been having secret meetings there."

Suigetsu turned to the red haired girl, holding up one hand as he said, "And where Itachi goes," then the other, "we go."

He looked at the girl walking next to him with a sneer. "That's kind of the whole point as to why we're here…"

"Whatever," Karin crossed her arms. "I still don't like it."

Sasuke knew Karin wouldn't like the idea of them going to a brothel, what girl would? Not to mention the part that he hadn't told her that made this brothel so…_special_. He decided to hold that part until the last possible moment, and then only Juugo would have to deal with the girl's whiny complaints. Sasuke almost felt guilty for dumping the chakra-detector on a guy who never really crossed him, but the Uchiha knew Suigetsu would be a better partner for this kind of thing.

A few minutes later, Karin asked the question Sasuke had been dreading. "What am I going to be doing when we go there? Obviously I can't just go running around with the whores like you can."

Sasuke sighed again; this girl was going to be the death of him at the ripe age of nineteen. If she didn't drive him insane, she'd either cause an ulcer or a heart attack. "You and Juugo won't be coming with us."

The other three members of Team Hebi stopped in their tracks.

Suigetsu stepped forward, his pointer finger raised in the air. "Uh, I get that you're supposed to be our 'fearless leader,' _Oh Mighty One_," he said with a saccharine voice, "But would you mind at least filling us in on your plan?"

The raven haired Uchiha groaned and turned back to them, hating to be slowed down. Still, he knew it would be better to let them know before they got too close to the brothel.

Nonetheless, this wasn't the easiest thing to explain. Nor the most comfortable.

He stared at a tree behind Suigetsu's head as he said, "Tenshi isn't like other brothels. The people who run it, they…they kidnap the girls and force them into…submission."

He looked at all three faces—Suigetsu's disgusted, Juugo's contemplative, and Karin's confused.

"So," he continued, wanting for this to be over already. "Juugo and Karin will stay hidden; wait in the forest until we come back to you. Suigetsu and I will take care of everything else."

Karin bit her lip, opened her mouth, then closed it again. Sasuke could tell she wanted to say something, so he looked pointedly at her until she made up her mind.

"Sasuke-kun," she began quietly. "Why don't you want me going in there?"

He blinked once slowly. "Hn. Your abilities can help find my brother."

A shy smile broke out on her face. "So, you don't want me to get hurt—you…_care_ about me."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. _I'm not even going to dignify that with a response_, he muttered in his mind. Ignoring the teasing look in his blue haired companion's eyes and the one of sheer adoration in the only female's, he continued through the woods, hoping to get there before darkness.

He heard Juugo and Suigetsu begin to follow him. Karin remained in her spot, apparently going over something in her head.

"Sasuke-kun!" she called out. "You're not _actually_ going to sleep with these girls, right?"

* * *

With Karin and Juugo tucked away behind a large tree (Sasuke had considered sticking a gag in Karin's mouth to give Juugo some peace and quiet, but he figured that she wouldn't have much to say to him anyway), Sasuke and Suigetsu made their way towards the brothel.

"We'll each get a girl," Sasuke instructed, speaking in low tones just to be sure no one around could hear. "See if you can get any information out of her, and then knock her out. Look for rooms with locked doors or are located in the basement; that's probably where any Akatsuki information would be."

"Where do we go after tonight? If we find anything."

"Wherever the information takes us," Sasuke said simply.

By then the brothel had come into view; most of its windows were boarded up and the paint on the siding was faded. Sasuke led the way into the building, nearly overwhelmed by all the strong perfumes and incense.

A woman with dark green hair pulled into a high bun greeted them with a flirty grin. "Welcome! My name is Naomi. Do you boys have an appointment?"

Sasuke glanced back at Suigetsu, frowning when he saw all the dirt they'd tracked in. Neither of them had gotten to bathe recently and the mud from a storm a few days ago had caked on to their sandals.

Naomi seemed to notice it at the same time. She gave a tight smile. "Don't worry about it; I'll just get our cleaning girl to take care of that. Why don't you follow me and we'll see if we can find you some girls."

She shouted for a girl to come clean up the mess before leading them to another area further down. She pulled out a book that had names on a list, running her finger down the columns. She frowned.

"I'm sorry; it looks like nearly all our girls are sick with the flu. Those that aren't already have set appointments. Would you like to reschedule?"

Sasuke groaned. This was not part of the plan. "We don't really have the time to reschedule. You're sure there's no one else?"

She paused, looking at something behind them.

"Wait a minute. Rei!"

The woman smirked suddenly, raising her hand and curling a thin finger towards her. "Come here."

"Y-Yes, Naomi-sama?" a quiet voice said. The girl sounded timid and pretty young.

The green haired woman grinned at Sasuke, her eyes twinkling. "This will be fun. Rei-chan here is a first-timer. You're in for a real treat, sir."

Suigetsu gasped and Sasuke turned around to see the girl. She stood about a head shorter than he did—maybe even a foot. Her hair was a dark purple secured in a braid at the back of her head. Her light blue eyes looked up at Sasuke and widened with fear.

He turned back to the woman in charge. "What about him?" he asked, nodding his head at Suigetsu.

The woman frowned again, looking down at her book. "I'm afraid Rei here is all we've got."

"Well can I at least borrow a room to stay in?" he asked.

She nodded, gesturing for him to follow her. "How will you be paying for this?" she asked Sasuke.

"Cash." He handed her a wad of money and her eyes gleamed.

"If you'll just sit down here and wait for Rei to change into something more…_appropriate_—"

"That won't be necessary," Sasuke interrupted, growing impatient with this woman. He was pretty sure the girl would have nothing to say to him either—if she spoke to him at all. At least Suigetsu could wander around a bit while he took care of this girl.

The woman looked taken aback, but recovered quickly. "Very well. Rei, take him to room seven."

* * *

Sakura's hands were so shaky she could barely hold them at her sides as she led Sasuke to the room—ironically, the same number as their former team during the Rookie 9 days.

She shut the door behind them, trying to swallow but finding her throat was so dry she nearly swallowed her tongue. She slowly turned to face Sasuke, taking in his appearance. He was wearing all black—pants, haori, sandals, and arm-guards on his forearms.

**Jeez, what's with this guy and all the black?** Inner Sakura muttered, apparently not fazed by the recent events.

Sakura raised a shaky hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear as her gaze met Sasuke's. He was scowling—a look she found very familiar. She licked her lips, trying to think of something to say.

"S-so, what's your name?"

His deep onyx eyes bore into hers, clearly stating how much she annoyed him. He blinked once and grunted. "Look, I'm not actually here for…" he waved his hand in a circular motion towards the bed, "_this_. Do you know anything about Uchiha Itachi or Akatsuki meeting here?"

_So _that's _why he's here, _Sakura thought. _I'm not surprised; I should've figured when Haruka-chan told me about it._

"A little," she said quietly. This, apparently, surprised the Uchiha; he whirled around and looked at her, his gaze intense.

"Well?" he stepped closer.

Sakura tugged on her braid. "Just that there are rumors; that they come at night sometimes. I've never seen them, but I'm pretty new here. My friend said that they set up a deal with Naomi-sama—they'll protect this place from the law if they can have secret meetings and unlimited use of the girls."

That didn't seem to do much for Sasuke. "Is that all you know?"

"I can find out more," Sakura said, lifting her chin up slightly. "You'd have to come back another time—it's almost ten o'clock so I couldn't do any digging until tomorrow."

Sasuke nodded. "Fine. Find out whatever you can. I'll be back tomorrow night."

"Wait!" Sakura called, taking a step forward as Sasuke grasped the doorknob. "You didn't tell me your name." It would be too easy for her to slip and say it without him telling her; she needed him to do it.

He narrowed his eyes. "What's yours?"

"Rei."

"Sasuke."

He turned to go and Sakura stopped him again. "Pretend like we just had sex," she said quickly, fighting to keep the blush on her face down. "Tuck in your shirt as you walk out and adjust your pants or something."

Sasuke looked down, then back up at her, clearly skeptical.

"Please, if you don't, I'll get in so much trouble." His mouth twitched a little in annoyance, but he did as she asked with a sigh. He even ran his hands through his hair to muss it up a bit more. He quickly loosened his haori, giving Sakura a glimpse of his muscular body.

And then, he was gone.

Sakura sighed, leaning back against the wall. Her heart was still pounding and she felt a little light headed. Sasuke was the last person she'd expected to encounter.

She frowned; this mission was turning out to be much more complicated than she'd thought.

* * *

Sasuke stepped out of the room, trying to get a satisfied look on his face. It didn't work so well for him. No one was around anyway, so he masked his chakra and slipped down a hall just as that Rei girl slipped out of the same room he'd just exited.

She'd pulled her hair out of its braid so it looked messy and the shirt she wore slipped a bit off her shoulder, like the fabric had been stretched out. He was almost impressed with her thoroughness as he watched her whip up some fake tears and run down another hall.

_Now to find Suigetsu,_ he said to himself. After a few minutes, he found a door that had a padlock on it. If Akatsuki was having any secret meetings, it would be in there. He was just about to break the lock when someone bumped into him.

Sasuke whipped out a kunai, holding it towards the person.

"Whoa, Sasuke, it's me!" Suigetsu whispered, his blue hair giving off a light glow in the darkness.

Sasuke grunted at him. "They may meet down here. Did you find anything?"

His companion nodded, "I heard that—"

"What are you doing here?" someone whispered.

Both males snapped towards the voice to see a small person standing in the shadows. They stepped forward to reveal dark hair and glowing blue eyes.

"Sasuke?" Rei said quietly. "You have to get out of here. Goro and Jiro do nightly patrols and if they find you guys, you'll never be able to come back. Get out now!"

Sasuke scowled. He hated having to wait for things. Suigetsu elbowed him, "She's right. We can come back tomorrow. Let's go."

He started to walk towards the front room and then quickly raced back to Sasuke and the girl.

"That woman is out there!" he whispered. "How will we get out?"

Sasuke looked to Rei, who bit her lip and then nodded. "I know a way out," she said quickly. "It's on the second floor, so you'll have to jump, but any ninja can handle that."

"How did you know we're ninja? I never said that," Sasuke said. Rei turned around, her eyes wide.

"Your armguards," she said quietly, pointing to them. "Normal people wouldn't need to wear them 24/7. And if you're after Akatsuki you must be ninja."

Suigetsu nodded in understanding, pushing her back in the direction she was headed. "No time now, let's go."

Rei nodded and led them up some stairs and past the rows of bunk beds where the girls slept. She brought them into a room that was filled with various sexual toys and torture devices.

Suigetsu winced, looking around the room. Sasuke did as well with his Sharingan.

"Do they actually use these on you?" Suigetsu asked.

Even in the dark, Rei's blush was visible. "N-No one has ever used them on me, but I've heard of customers request them before."

All three were silent for a moment before the dark haired girl walked to a window. It was old and got stuck halfway up; she had trouble getting it open. Sasuke made his way over to open it the rest when suddenly he felt a small burst of chakra in the room and she opened the window with ease. Before he could check whose chakra it was—if it was chakra at all—it was gone.

Rei turned to them and smiled. "Sometimes these old windows get a little stuck," she said matter-of-factly.

Suigetsu stepped to the window first, giving a slight bow to her, "We appreciate your help." Rei grinned and bowed back as he jumped to the ground.

Sasuke passed her, trying to sense any chakra within her. He almost could sense a faint amount, when Suigetsu called for him to hurry up.

_Is she using a concealment jutsu? _he wondered. _That would explain the small amount left…_ _But it would take a great amount of chakra to be able to mask it so well. No girl that young has that that much skill—_

Instantly Sakura's victorious face came into his mind. It was from when they were Genin and Kakashi was teaching them how to control chakra. It was so natural for Sakura that she was able to hang upside down from a tree branch while he and Naruto struggled just a few feet above the ground.

He shook his head, knowing if they took too much longer Rei could get in trouble. He nodded his head at her and leapt through the window. He landed in the grass easily, straightening his legs and brushing off his pants.

"Goodnight Sasuke," he heard a quiet voice whisper.

He turned back to the window, where he could faintly see her light blue eyes glowing. He gave a small nod and said, "Until tomorrow."

* * *

**Okay, just to clear a few things up… The reason I called Sakura 'Rei' in the last section was because it was from Sasuke's POV and that's how he sees her. Hope that made sense.**

**Um… I think that's it. This chapter was kind of all over the place, so if you have any questions feel free to ask!**


	5. Five

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its affiliate belong to ****Masashi Kishimoto****, I am merely borrowing his characters to write what we all wish would happen…**

**EDITED: 3/6/2010**

* * *

**FIVE**

When Sakura awoke the next morning, she felt as if she'd been fighting in a battle for 48 hours and had all her chakra drained. Her head was heavy and every joint ached.

_What happened to me? _she wondered. Her eyes widened as realization hit. Memories of meeting with Sasuke and sneaking him and his companion out through the window hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Oh!" she moaned, falling back onto her pillow. She draped an arm over her eyes and tried to sort out what happened the previous night.

A cool hand touched her arm. "How do you feel?"

She moved her arm and opened her eyes to see a concerned Haruka sitting next to her. She bit her lip and checked Sakura's forehead.

"Usually the day after your first is the most traumatizing. It'll get easier after this—soon you'll just feel a numbness," she explained quietly, her teal eyes scanning over Sakura's face for any sign of mental breakdown.

Sakura swallowed, sitting up slowly. She rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust to the brightness of the light. "I actually feel normal. Just really tired and a little achy." At least she wasn't lying.

Haruka nodded. "That's completely normal. Are you sore?"

She blinked, tilting her head slightly, "Sore?"

Her friend nodded again, scooting a little closer so she could whisper. "You know…_down there_."

Sakura jerked back quickly, her face turning a bright red. "Oh! Um…no, not really. But I'm a dancer, so I'm pretty flexible and stretched out."

Haruka nodded. Both girls looked over to see Kumiko get out of her bed and sit down with them. She didn't have the sickly pale look anymore, but there were bags under the young girl's navy eyes.

"Rei-chan," she said quietly, looking down. "I was supposed to clean the sheets after you were done, but…the bed was completely in order."

Haruka looked at her curiously and Sakura's mind raced to think of a reasonable explanation. "He didn't want to do it in the bed," she said quickly.

Her friends gasped. "He did you against the wall?" Haruka hissed. "For your first time? The bastard could've at least been a _little_ gentle with you…"

Sakura felt that old urge to defend her former teammate rise up in her again. She sat up a little straighter and narrowed her eyes. "Actually, he wasn't that bad. He was very nice to me," she snapped.

She pretended not to notice the look Haruka and Kumiko exchanged as she scowled and turned towards the window. Haruka grabbed one of her hands.

"Rei-chan…you know he doesn't…_like_ you, right? Not like that. He just wants you for one thing…"

She felt insulted by the maternal voice Haruka was trying to use. She may have been older, but only by two years!

"I don't _like_ him," she snapped, causing the two to jump slightly. "I'm just saying he was nicer than I expected so don't be so quick to judge him."

She stood up quickly, deciding she needed a shower to calm down. The bathroom was large with several shower spouts hanging on the walls. It saved water for Tenshi to have one large communal bathroom, and they did everything they could to save money—no hot water, five minutes to shower, and sometimes two girls had to share one spout just to speed up the process.

Sakura was surprised to find no one else in there, but welcomed the peaceful quiet and privacy. She quickly stripped off her uniform—a maroon tunic-like shirt and plain black pants—and her undergarments. _I wonder where they put my old clothes…_

While she usually preferred steaming hot water that made her skin red, Sakura welcomed the cold water that poured down on her. It helped her clear her head and fine-tuned her senses. She remembered what she'd told Sasuke she'd do for him and she decided to get started right away, since she didn't know what time he would get there.

She remembered seeing Sasuke and his blue-haired companion standing next to a door with a padlock on it. Toweling her body dry, she decided she would start there. After drying her hair and twisting it back into its customary braid, she headed downstairs to find that door.

* * *

"You're going _back_?" Karin snapped. She crossed her arms and glared, "What, you couldn't get enough _booty_ in just one night?"

Sasuke shot her a cold glare as he turned the fish over so its other side was roasting over the small fire he'd built. They were camped out nearly a mile away from Tenshi, sitting under a large oak tree.

"I'm going back because a girl there said she'd do some digging about Akatsuki."

Suigetsu smirked. "I think he likes her."

The Uchiha Glare was shifted over to the shark-toothed man who was chuckling lightly. "Hn. I don't like her."

"He doesn't like her!"

"Shut up, Karin," Sasuke and Suigetsu said at once, keeping up their glare-down. Both silently refused to look away until Juugo calmly pointed out that their breakfast was on fire.

"Nice going," Suigetsu sneered as Sasuke quickly blew off the fish and tried to see if it was still edible.

"Leave him alone," Karin snapped, smacking him in the arm. "It was your fault for distracting him!"

Suigetsu shrugged. "If he would've just admitted he likes this girl, then we wouldn't be eating our fish charred to a crisp."

"I don't like her!" Sasuke barked.

"HE DOESN'T LIKE HER!" Karin practically screeched. Her glasses were jostled and her hair was awry. Suigetsu smirked—he loved when this side of her came out. It made his teasing so much more enjoyable. And—though he would never admit it—she looked almost semi-cute when she got like that.

"You didn't see the way he looked at her," he continued with a wink. "Or the way they said goodnight to each other. _So romantic._"

Karin's jaw dropped and she made a scandalized huff as she whirled her glare to Sasuke. He chose to ignore her and divided the fish up into even sections for everyone.

He rolled his eyes when he looked up to see Suigetsu smirking evilly and Karin looking as if the world was coming to an end. "I'm only going back to get the information from her," he said coolly, intending to close the conversation.

Suigetsu gave a toothy grin as he took a big bite of his fish. "That may be, but getting to see pretty Rei-san will be a nice bonus, ne?"

Karin gasped. "She's _pretty_? What does she look like? Do you think she's pretty, Sasuke-kun? How old is she? Is she a slut? I bet she is. Who knows what sexually transmitted diseases she has—"

"Actually," Suigetsu said quietly, "she's still a virgin."

That seemed to surprise Karin. "Oh." She looked down at the fish in her lap and ate the rest of her breakfast in silence. Sasuke was slightly shocked at how this little piece of information changed her demeanor drastically, but he'd heard that many girls considered their virginity something important so maybe…did Karin actually feel sorry for Rei?

Suigetsu broke his train of thought. "So what are we going to do while you're there?"

"Stay here. You can train if you want, but don't draw any attention. We'll either leave when I get back or, if there's still more information to obtain, I'll send you three after it and I'll stay for the rest," Sasuke instructed, leaning back against the tree trunk behind him.

"When are you going?"

"As soon as it gets dark," he answered simply. "She said she'd heard that's when Akatsuki meets. I'll have to make sure they don't know I'm there."

"Is that why you didn't tell that lady your name?" Suigetsu asked, swallowing his last bit of fish. "I was so surprised; I figured if she knew you were an Uchiha she would've let us stay for free."

Sasuke considered that for a moment. "Probably. But the last thing I need is Itachi knowing I'm anywhere near him. I want to keep the element of surprise. And it's not like I can't afford that place anyway."

Suigetsu nodded in agreement. He sniffed lightly and turned towards his left. "There's a river a few miles South, anybody up for a bath?"

They hadn't bathed in nearly a week, so all four members of the team headed that way. Karin headed to a little pool surrounded by a circle of rocks, so she could have privacy from the male eyes. Not that any of them even considered touching her, let alone looking at her—well maybe Suigetsu, but it would be more out of convenience than affection.

Sasuke walked down a few feet away from the other two males, glad to get a chance to think to himself. He got in the water with his pants and haori on, intending to wash them of blood and dirt first before bathing.

He'd been curious at first as to why Rei would be so willing to help them—did she expect him to rescue her when he killed Itachi? Or take her with them? But she never said anything about wanting something in return… It occurred to Sasuke that she was probably doing this simply because she had nothing to lose, a fact he found highly convenient. This meant she would be more willing to take greater risks. He had to admit, he thought her brave. He doubted any of the other girls would've been so willing—any normal girl, at least.

Which brought him back to that spurt of chakra. Surely that hadn't been hers—what kunoichi would be so weak that they let themselves get kidnapped and forced into submission by a couple of idiots? Even Genin would be able to get out of that one.

He growled under his breath and submerged completely under the cool water. He scrubbed at his hair, ridding it of the dirt and grime. He scowled when he surfaced and a lot of it was now drooping in his eyes; water dripped down his face. He hadn't realized how long his hair had grown—some of it was nearly reaching his shoulders. But he was terrible at cutting hair and absolutely refused to ask the others to do such a task.

Wringing out his hair so it was now slightly damp and already standing up in its usual chicken-like fashion, Sasuke got out of the water and began to get dressed.

Suigetsu slowly waded over to Karin's little circular pool. "Hey Karin, do you have any extra soap—OH MY EYES! I'M BLIND!"

The two other males looked over to see Karin, bright red, crossing her arms as she glared daggers at the blue haired man before her. He covered his eyes and pretended to stagger backwards, his other hand grasping out blindly in front of him.

Karin screamed. "YOU. ARE. DEAD!"

* * *

Grabbing a broom, Sakura headed down various hallways, trying to remember which hall it was that she'd found Sasuke. She remembered the blue haired guy had walked down the hall to get to the front room, but there were at least a dozen halls branching out from there. With a frown, she decided to check each and every hallway until she could find it.

She'd just gotten to her third hall—still no sign of the padlocked door—when Naomi appeared.

"Rei, some sake spilled all over the floor in my office. Get the mop and clean it up," she said with a belittling tone. Sakura frowned; this would put off her goal, but at least she could snoop around the office a bit.

She followed Naomi quietly, keeping her eyes open for that padlock. They reached the office within minutes. Sure enough, there was a smashed bottle of sake on the floor, surrounded by a large puddle of the clear liquid.

"What happened?" she asked, getting down onto her knees to pick up the pieces of glass.

"It was for a customer and I dropped it," Naomi said quickly, her tone warning Sakura not to ask anymore.

One of the shards of glass sliced through her index finger. "Itai!" she hissed. She shook her hand for a moment to relieve the pain before sticking the finger into her mouth to suck on it. It had a strange taste—a mix between tangy iron and sweet sake. She pulled her finger out of her mouth, revealing a thin slit down the pad of the finger. The sake burned in her finger like lemon juice. She winced.

Naomi sighed. "Here, I'll get the glass." She went to pick up one of the bigger pieces, and ended up cutting herself as well—only much more so. Blood began trickling down her hand and she cursed. "I have to go get some bandages, clean this mess up."

"Hai, Naomi-sama."

Once the woman left, Sakura quickly healed her finger before picking up the rest of the glass and throwing it away. Then she ran the mop around the pool of alcohol, absorbing it quickly.

With that done, Sakura glanced up at the door. She didn't know how much time she had left alone in the office. Getting up quickly, she headed over to Naomi's desk. The first drawer was filled with random receipts and bills to pay. She went to the next one, but it was just filled with various office supplies. The third one, Sakura discovered, had a false bottom. She removed the small stack of papers inside and lifted the wooden board, setting it down next to her.

Sakura's heart pounded as she pulled out various pieces of folded paper. They looked like letters. As she read through them quickly, she realized they were all in code.

_Of course, _she thought to herself. _If it's Akatsuki, they're going to be thorough._

Most of it was incomprehensible in thirty seconds, so Sakura passed over the hidden messages and looked for obvious things. The paper was always a plain white, no emblem at the top or watermarks to tell her who the letters came from. They were always unsigned as well. The writing was so perfect she couldn't even tell if it was masculine or feminine.

Sakura frowned. Why couldn't something come easily to her for once? Then she noticed a similarity—three of the letters mentioned places that resembled those in Earth Country; some near the Rock Village.

_Isn't that where Deidara is from? _she wondered. _Maybe that's where they're from. It could make sense, he would know his way around there._

She heard footsteps coming closer, she quickly shoved the letters back and the false bottom. Naomi walked in just as she closed the drawer.

"What are you doing over there?" she snapped.

Sakura glanced down and picked up a shard of glass. "There was some glass here," she said quietly, placing it in the pile of glass.

Naomi narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Get out of here."

"Hai, Naomi-sama."

As she made her way to the door, Jiro popped his head in. "Rei, your _friend_ from last night is back. He's specially requested you."

Naomi arched a dark green brow at her, smirking as she looked Sakura up and down. "I guess you pleased him. Make sure to satisfy him again tonight so he'll come back. Now get out there. Take him to room twenty-nine."

Sakura bowed and quickly made her way to the front room, where she saw Sasuke standing there waiting. She made a deep bow and looked into his dark eyes. She noticed Jiro watching her from around the corner, so she knew she would have to be convincing.

"Good evening, Sasuke-sama. Please follow me." She purposely made her eyes look blank and her voice monotonous, like she was trying to block it out. She'd seen other girls do it, so she knew Jiro would believe her. If Sasuke was surprised by her actions, he didn't show it. They waited until they were safely hidden in their room before speaking.

"Did you find anything out?" he asked immediately. Sakura sat on the bed, pulling out her braid and re-doing it since nearly half the strands had fallen out.

"I tried to find that door, but couldn't remember where you'd found it," she said quietly. Sasuke looked annoyed. Was he regretting asking her for help? Disappointed in her? He probably figured she wouldn't be able to do him any good.

"But," she continued, catching the Uchiha's attention. "I had to clean something in Naomi's office and when she left I got to do some digging." She explained the false bottom in the desk drawer and all the coded letters.

"A few of them mentioned places that sound like they're in Earth country—even the Rock Village," she explained.

"Deidara," Sasuke said under his breath.

"Who?" Sakura asked, feigning innocence.

Sasuke looked up at her, as if he'd forgotten she knew nothing about the ninja world. "Just someone in Akatsuki. It could make sense for them to hide out there…"

"Are you going to go?"

"No. Not yet. There's still more you can get, I think," he said, shocking Sakura. She hadn't expected to hear _that_! That was almost a compliment, wasn't it?

"I'll send the rest of my team to check it out."

"Team?" She had expected Sasuke to be annoyed with all her questions, but he was being surprisingly patient. He even moved so he was sitting against the wall across from her as she lay on her stomach on the bed.

Sasuke explained that he was trying to kill someone—but refused to give any names—and that he needed this team to help him. They'd been traveling together for nearly a year. When she asked him about where he was before that, he was hesitant to give any answers, like he was ashamed of that part of his past.

Before they knew it, two hours had already gone by. Sakura had just finished telling a story about the matchmaking she and her best friend—_Ino-pig_—did to set up two of their other best friends, who were pretty much soul mates—_Naruto and Hinata-chan_.

"They've been together for almost two years now, and I've never seen either of them happier," she finished with a smile. She was still lying on the foot of the bed, but now hugging a pillow. She rested her head on it and smiled up at Sasuke, who was pensively looking out the window.

He turned back to her and she giggled when his bangs fell into his eyes again. Flicking his head to move them, Sasuke said quietly, "You're…you're a good friend Rei."

Did he mean to Naruto and Hinata, or him? She frowned, unable to decode what he was saying.

"Sasuke…do you want me to cut your hair? It's looking a little long and I can tell your bangs are bothering you."

He looked up at her for a moment, then gave a curt nod. She sat up on the bed, motioning for him to come over so he could sit between her legs. Sasuke hesitated but did as she instructed anyway.

"Do you have any kun—er, knives with you? I don't have any scissors…" He glanced up at her before reaching into his dark haori and pulling out a kunai. He handed it to her silently, both knowing the trust he had to put in her in order to let her do this. In the position they were sitting in, she could easily slit his throat…or at least _attempt_ to.

Sakura tried to remember how he used to look in order to get the right length. She grabbed a lock of hair and cut about two inches off. That seemed like a good length so she did the rest about that much.

When she finished the back, she frowned. They were going to have to get a little closer than comfortable. Sakura got off the bed and sat down between Sasuke's legs. She was surprised when he didn't say anything; he just widened his legs so she could have more room.

She grasped one of his ebony forelocks, sliding the kunai down at an angle to trim it. Once she finished the front of his hair, the two sat staring at each other, their faces separated by just inches.

"S-Sasuke? Can I ask you a question?"

"Hn."

"Why are you telling me all of this? I mean, I like talking to you, but…you don't seem like the kind of guy who usually opens up like that," she said quietly.

Sasuke's onyx eyes studied hers before he finally answered. "I don't know," he looked down. "I feel…comfortable around you. You remind me of—a girl I used to know."

_Who? What girl? Was it Ino? …Was it me?_

She noticed a black hair that had fallen on his cheek. Sakura delicately placed her hand on the smooth skin, using her thumb to brush it off.

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat and his stomach tightened at the contact, but when she looked at him so lovingly, he couldn't help but want more.

His hand slid up to grasp the side of her arm, pulling her closer. Sakura's heart pounded as her face got closer and closer to his. Their lips were about to touch when there was a timid knock at the door.

They both jumped and Sakura leapt backwards, putting a few feet between them.

"Rei-chan? It's Kumiko."

"Uh…come in," Sakura gasped, trying to catch her breath and calm her racing heart. She looked over at Sasuke, who stood silently, brushing some hairs off his clothes. He stuck the kunai back in his haori as Kumiko walked in.

"I apologize deeply for interrupting," she said with a bow to Sasuke. "My friend and I were worried about Rei-chan…"

"You were? Why?"

"Rei-chan," she walked closer. "You've been in here for nearly three hours."

"Oh—um…well…sorry for worrying you, but I'm fine." She looked over at Sasuke, who suddenly seemed to be very interested with a scratch on the wall by the door. "Sasuke-sama, I'm afraid I must bid you goodnight."

Sasuke nodded. "I'll be back tomorrow night."

Once he was gone, Kumiko stepped forward. "Rei-chan? I know this may not be any of my business, but why were you both covered in hair?"

Sakura laughed, walking out into the hall. "Good night, Kumiko-chan."

* * *

**So close! Don't kill me! I know you all wanted them to kiss, but I'm not ready for that yet!**


	6. Six

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its affiliate belong to ****Masashi Kishimoto****, I am merely borrowing his characters to write what we all wish would happen…**

**EDITED: 3/6/2010**

* * *

**SIX**

When Sasuke got back to his team, they were sitting around a campfire. Suigetsu and Karin were biting each other's heads off as usual while Juugo seemed to be asleep as he leaned back against a tree. How the man could sleep with all the bickering those two did, Sasuke would never know.

He stepped up to the fire and Juugo's eyes opened while the other two silenced. All pairs of eyes were on him.

A wicked grin crawled up Suigetsu's face. He let out a low wolf whistle and chuckled when the Uchiha glared at him.

Karin wasn't so good-humored. "_You let her_ _cut your hair?_" she hissed, standing up. "I don't believe it! I am _perfectly_ capable of cutting hair—why this girl? You hardly even know her! How do you know we can trust her?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "You don't know anything Karin. Sit down and shut up." He ignored the hurt look on the dark haired girl's face as he sat down next to Suigetsu.

"Rei found some letters from Akatsuki. It sounds like they're staking out in Earth Country, possibly near Rock Village," he explained, keeping his gaze on the blazing fire so he wouldn't have to see the teasing look on Suigetsu's face or the pouting one on Karin's.

"Sasuke," Suigetsu said in a reluctant tone. "I hate to side with _her_, but she has a good point. Are you absolutely _sure_ Rei can be trusted?"

All three team members were surprised at the intense glare that formed on the Uchiha's face. None of them had expected him to be so _protective_ of this girl—a girl he'd only known for a few days.

"Hn. Leave Rei to me. Tomorrow, you three are heading to Earth Country. Try to find their hideout. I'll catch up with you once I'm done here," he said tersely. Showing the group the conversation was done, he stood up and walked over to another tree. He hopped up to a large branch and crossed his arms.

Suigetsu snorted, poking at the burning logs with a long stick. "Tou-_chy_." He jumped as a kunai shot down, landing between his legs—just inches away from the family jewels. His jaw dropped and he looked up in the direction the knife came from.

"Oh _very_ mature."

* * *

Sakura hummed quietly to herself as she washed one of the windows on the second floor. She was able to see into the forest for a few miles, but there was no sight of Sasuke or his team. Her lips quirked down in a small frown; she'd been hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

**Maybe of him training, so we can see more of that glorious body!** Inner Sakura added, scanning the horizon with a pair of binoculars.

_I wonder what he's doing right now. There's a girl on his team; are they close? Are they friends? Does she take care of him? Does he care for her?_

"No!"

The wash rag dropped to the floor as Sakura fell backwards, plopping on her rear in her usual _graceful _way. She shook her head violently, trying to get rid of those images.

"Where did _that_ come from?" she asked herself quietly.

_I'm over him. I got over him years ago. I may have thought I loved him once, but I only see him as a friend now. If even that. He's just using me for information anyway; once he finds out enough about Akatsuki, he'll leave and I'll never see him again._

She didn't notice the tears running down her cheeks until they were dripping onto her tunic. She gasped, quickly wiping them away and blinking back any more that threatened to drop.

_I can't fall for him again, _she promised herself. _I won't. Because when he leaves, it would break me. And I can't go through that again. I refuse. I am not weak anymore._

She stood up, brushing of her pants as she went back to the window, picking up the discarded rag and setting it back in the bucket. Sakura opened the window and took in a deep breath of fresh air, letting the breeze stroke her hair and face. She missed her short hair and was getting annoyed with the restricting braid. So many times she was tempted to grab the kitchen shears and just chop the nasty thing off.

But she couldn't. What if Sasuke recognized her then?

Her eyes narrowed. "Damn it!" she hissed, her fingers digging into the windowsill until there were small indents. "Why does everything come back to _him_? I hate him. I can't fall for him. I won't."

A soft hand rested on her shoulder. Sakura jumped, looking into dark teal eyes. Haruka smiled sympathetically as she moved to lean back against the wall.

"I came up here to see if you were okay—you've been really out of it lately. But…I think I figured out what the problem is."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Haruka-chan?"

"Rei-chan, it's normal for you to…fall for the first guy who comes here and pays you special attention. It happens to all of us—even me."

Sakura furrowed her brows. "I'm sorry, I'm not following."

Haruka leaned in and used a tone that sounded like a mother scolding her little toddler. "This guy who has been coming in…he's giving you special attention and you think it's because he likes you. Maybe he even says stuff about how beautiful and special you are."

Sakura shook her head. "No, you've got this all wrong, I—"

Haruka smacked her hand on the wall. "No _you've _got it all wrong, Rei! Now listen to me, this guy? He doesn't love you. He doesn't even like you—not in the way you want. He just wants you for one thing, got it? _He's using you for sex!_"

"Shut up, you don't know anything!" Sakura shouted. She felt like her head was about to explode and her heart pounded. She crouched down, tucking her head into her knees and hiding under her arms. She took deep gulps of air, trying to calm down.

She knew Haruka was right. Not the sex part, but Sasuke was just using her. And she'd gone along willingly. She didn't know why it hurt so much this time though. Hadn't she just told herself all of this a few minutes ago?

**Maybe it's because before thought in a small corner of our mind that we were wrong, that we were just trying to help ourselves**, Inner Sakura said quietly, resting her chin on her hand as she frowned.** But now that Haruka-chan has pointed it all out, we know that little pocket of hope is gone.**

Sakura sighed, knowing her inner self was correct. She looked up at Haruka. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. What you heard me say before…that wasn't about Sasuke. It was about…a boy I knew when I was younger."

She stood up, turning to her friend. "I know exactly what Sasuke wants from me and all that I mean to him. I promise you, I don't feel anything for that jerk."

Haruka grinned, taking Sakura's hand, "Well I just wanted to make sure. We need to stay strong for each other, ne?"

Kumiko appeared in the doorway. "There you two are! I was looking all over for you! There's some soup in the kitchen; anyone want dinner?"

* * *

As Sakura sat down in a corner of the kitchen with her bowl, she looked up to see Haruka looking at her intently.

"What?"

Haruka looked around before scooting closer to Sakura and motioning for Kumiko to do the same. "Remember when you asked me about that ninja group?"

Sakura nodded, "Akatsuki. What about it?"

"Well, they have this…spy guy come in and check the place out; usually a week or so before they get here," she explained.

"Probably to make sure the coast is clear."

"Anyway, I think he's coming tonight. I saw this name in the appointment book and I _think _it's him, but I can't remember."

Sakura pursed her lips, tapping her chopsticks to her mouth. She nodded, looking back to her friends.

"Does he have a 'usual' here?"

"No," Kumiko shook her head. "He has a different girl every time."

"Why do you ask?"

"I _have_ to be the girl tonight."

"Are you _crazy_?" Haruka shouted. "Why would you want to do that to yourself? I heard he's a huge pervert-wack-job! He'll do freaky stuff to you! You're not ready for that!"

Sakura shook her head in defiance. She looked over at the clock that hung over the stove. "When's he scheduled?"

"You can't be serious! We won't let you!"

She looked back at her friends, giving a reassuring smile. "Trust me you guys. I can't explain now, but this is something I have to do."

"Does it have to do with Sasuke?" Kumiko asked.

"It's a long story—but I _promise_ I will tell you everything."

Haruka's frown softened into a look of understanding. "Eight o'clock. He's scheduled for eight."

They looked at the clock. "That means he'll be here any minute! We have to go now!"

They raced down the hall, peeking around the corner. Naomi was talking quietly with her sons. No one else was in the front room.

At eight o'clock on the dot, a man walked in. He looked young and had light blonde hair that was tied back in a low ponytail. A small goatee was on his chin. He had a long scar on his cheek that went from his eye to his jaw.

Sakura didn't recognize him as someone from Akatsuki, but knew instantly this was the man. His muscles were bigger than Jiro and Goro's combined and he looked to be nearly seven feet tall.

"That's him," Haruka whispered. "You still sure about this?"

While the sight of him made Sakura want to vomit, she knew she could take him down with her inhuman strength. She couldn't use handcuffs to bind him like she'd originally planned, but she could bend some metal around him or something. She could sense his chakra—he was a shinobi, but she could take him. She'd taken on worse.

"Ah, welcome back Kuruo-san," Naomi said with a grin, pushing her sons behind her.

"Always a pleasure, Naomi-san," Kuruo replied with a slimy grin. He was greasy all over and his hair looked like it hadn't been washed in months.

"Let's see who we have available tonight…" She scanned over the book of names, trying to find a girl.

Sakura knew this was her chance. She grabbed the bucket she brought and stepped into the front room before her friends could pull her back. She couldn't tell how strong of a ninja he was, so she made sure her chakra was extra hidden.

She kept her eyes down, hoping this would be enough to draw attention to her. When Naomi didn't so much as look up, Sakura pretended to bump into a chair, causing the bucket to fall.

Naomi looked up and smirked. "Ah, Rei-chan. She'll be perfect." Naomi closed the book and beckoned her closer.

"Kuruo-san, this is Rei. Rei-chan, say hello to Kuruo-sama." Sakura bowed, making sure to blush and not make eye contact.

Kuruo chuckled. "Yes, she looks good enough to eat. Which room would you like us in?"

"I'll pay double whatever he's paying to have her," a baritone voice said suddenly. Sakura gasped, turning around to see who ruined her plan.

She was stunned to look into deep onyx eyes.

"What!" she hissed. "What are you doing?"

Sasuke pushed past her, walking up to Naomi at the front desk, "Do we have a deal?"

Naomi looked back at Kuruo, seeing if he minded. "Triple," Sasuke growled. She grinned.

"Sorry Kuruo-san, we'll find you another girl." She turned back to Sasuke, "Let's see the money."

He pulled out a large wad of cash, ignoring as Sakura glared at him. "I'll pay double whatever any customer offers for her, even if I'm not here," he continued.

Naomi arched an emerald brow. "What are you saying? You want Rei-chan all for yourself?"

He nodded.

She glanced over at Sakura before smirking. "I think that could be arranged. Rei, take him to room fourteen."

"Yes Naomi-sama," Sakura grumbled, leading the way.

As soon as they got in the room, Sakura whirled around. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" she hissed. "Do you know how hard I had to work to get that job!"

Sasuke sat back on the bed and grunted. "And here I thought you'd be grateful for me saving you from that pervert."

She snarled. "You _idiot_. He's a spy for Akatsuki!"

Those onyx eyes snapped up to meet hers. "And what, you just thought you could seduce the information out of him?"

"No," she snapped, crossing her arms and turning away from him. "I was going to render him immobile."

"Now who's the idiot!" Sasuke roared. "You have no idea how strong he is! You're what? Five feet tall? You can't weigh more than one hundred pounds. How did you expect to render a guy like that unconscious? A normal girl couldn't possibly—"

Sakura bit her lip and closed her eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest as she waited to see what the Uchiha would say.

"I knew it…" he said quietly. "I _knew_ I sensed chakra in you the other day. Who are you?"

She gave a small laugh. "I'm someone you used to know quite well, Sasuke…kun." Sakura released the concealment jutsu and slowly turned around.

She opened her now jade eyes to see a stunned Sasuke. She was surprised to see the usually expressionless face have so many conflicting emotions going on. It was like a battle of thoughts and she could see them all in his eyes.

She frowned. Would he hate her for lying? After all the time they'd spent getting closer…did she just throw all that away? Would he ever trust her again?

_It's still me._

"Sasuke," she said quietly, glancing to her side. "This changes nothing."

"No," he growled, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "This changes everything."

And he crashed his mouth into hers.

* * *

**Muahahaha! Oh I love cliff hangers!! Aren't I mean? Sorry this chapter was kinda shorter, but…well, I have no excuse.**


	7. Seven

**Disclaimer: I own…my Snuggie? That's about it…**

**One year. Six months. 30 days.**

**I can't believe it's taken me this long to update. But looking back, I didn't have everything as planned out as I should have and I really think I'm a much better writer now.**

**Thank you guys so much for sticking with this story! It really means a lot to me.**

* * *

**SEVEN**

"_Sasuke," she said quietly, glancing to her side. "This changes nothing."_

"_No," he growled, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "This changes everything."_

_And he crashed his mouth into hers._

Sakura was surprised, to say the least. Her first instinct was to bring her arms around Sasuke's shoulders as his mouth moved against hers. His hands clutched at her hips, drawing her body in closer to hers. Sakura had never been kissed like this before—hell, she'd never experienced _anything_ like this before. It was like everything she'd ever imagined…

Except that it wasn't. At all. It was rough, a little uncouth, and demanding. And it was with Sasuke, which was another level all on its own.

Making a small noise, Sakura pressed her hands to Sasuke's chest, pushing him back slightly. "Sasuke—Sasuke, wait."

"Why?" he panted, bringing his mouth back to hers. Sakura groaned, her hands balling into fists. She tried to move her mouth from Sasuke's but he brought his hand to the back of her head. When she opened her mouth to yell at him, Sasuke shoved his tongue into her mouth.

Sakura bit down on his tongue and he pulled back with an angry hiss. "Kami, Sasuke! You can't just take whatever you want whenever you want it!"

Sasuke shoved her into the wall, his hands on either side of her head, caging her in. "Damn it, Sakura, you're driving me crazy!"

"W-What?" she blinked at him, tipping her head back to look into his eyes better.

"You're so annoying," he breathed before lowering his head back to hers. Their lips met briefly before he pulled away again, resting their foreheads together. "_Fuck_. Why can't I get you out of my head?"

Sakura's heart skipped a beat, "I…Sasuke…" They stared at each other in silence for a moment, their chests pressing together as they heaved in deep breaths. Sakura pulled his head down to hers, bringing her arms around his neck as their mouths moved against each other over and over.

Sasuke took a step forward so their bodies were touching everywhere. Suddenly Sakura felt extremely hot and all she wanted was to wrap her legs around him and—

"Rei-chan?" a muffled voice called from the other side of the door. Sasuke broke their kiss quickly as Haruka knocked. The doorknob turned and he fingered a lock of her bangs, reminding her of how she looked.

"Shit," she muttered, quickly changing her image back to Rei's as Haruka opened the door. Sasuke stepped away, moving to the window. He scrubbed at his face as Sakura self-consciously fixed her hair.

"Haruka-chan, what is it?" she asked, hoping her voice was steady.

Haruka glanced at Sasuke before leaning in, "We could hear you two yelling and then there was a…weird thump. Is everything okay?"

Sakura flushed, no everything was _not_ okay. She was definitely going to need at least three years of therapy for today's events alone. She looked back at the Uchiha, who glared at her, and turned back to Haruka.

"Yeah, of course. Everything's fine." She gave a shaky smile, hoping it was reassuring enough for her friend. Haruka didn't look completely convinced but didn't say anything.

Sasuke joined them and turned to Sakura. "I have to go. I'm coming back tomorrow to talk about…what you told me."

She nodded, "Okay, I'll explain everything."

"Hn." He nodded to her once and made his leave. As his footsteps faded, Sakura heaved a long sigh. Suddenly she was extremely exhausted. Everything that had happened today—learning about Akatsuki's spy, her fight with Sasuke, her reveal to Sasuke, her…_make-out session_ with Sasuke…it was all so overwhelming. She sat down on the bed, only to jump when she realized Haruka was still standing in the doorway, staring at her with a calculating look in her teal eyes.

**Play dumb,** Inner Sakura suggested, also cautious of the look in their friend's eyes.

"Is something the matter?" Sakura asked quietly, pulling her hair out of its braid and redoing the pleats.

Haruka crossed her arms, "Do you two know each other? I mean, did you? Before here?"

Sakura swallowed quickly. "Who?"

**Not **_**that **_**dumb!** Her inner snapped, smacking herself on the forehead. _**Kami-sama, save us all…**_

"You _know_ who I'm talking about," Haruka snapped as she narrowed her eyes. She glanced in the hall behind her before walking in, slowly shutting the door. "You two act so…familiar around each other. It's like you—"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura interrupted. "We've gotten to know each other, but that's it." She walked up to her friend, telling her with her eyes to get out of the way.

But Haruka was standing her ground. "So you never knew him before?"

Sakura shoved past her, yanking the door open. "Nope."

"Rei-chan!" Haruka called from behind her as she walked down the hall, hoping the older girl wouldn't notice how hurried she was moving. "No as in you did or no as in you didn't? That doesn't really answer my question!"

* * *

Sasuke was tree-hopping, cursing under his breath as the wind whipped at his face. He couldn't believe he'd lost control like that back there. How could he lose control? He was an Uchiha, and if anything, Uchiha were known for their control. He'd found out that Rei was actually Sakura and it was as if something inside him snapped.

And while he would never admit it, the feel of Sakura's body pressed against his and the taste of her mouth affected him in ways nothing else had ever before. In that brief moment, he'd felt so…free.

Suddenly he noticed several familiar chakra signatures in the direction he was headed. What was going on? Sasuke leapt down and landed crouching on one knee. He glared at his team who was currently sitting around a campfire.

"What are you still doing here," he snapped.

Team Hebi blinked back at him in surprise, sitting in stunned silence for a moment. Eventually Suigetsu pointed a finger in Karin's direction, "It was her idea."

"I don't trust that Rei girl!" the redhead sputtered, shooting a deadly glare in Suigetsu's direction.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her as he straightened up and she swallowed nervously.

"I think Karin's just jealous," Suigetsu teased. "She doesn't want to leave her precious Sasuke-kun here alone with Rei." He leaned over and poked her in the side, flinching when she practically snarled at him.

Wordlessly, Sasuke took off for the woods once more. Karin squawked, asking where he was going but he just ignored her. She normally wasn't that bad—she was relatively intelligent, she had unique chakra skills, and she was a strong fighter. It was when she started drooling all over him that made him want to slit his own wrists. She was even worse than Sakura was when she was younger.

And damn it, now he was thinking about Sakura again!

He'd left Hebi on under the pretense that they were annoying him again—which they were—but the real reason he'd needed to get away was to find a source of water. Finally he found a stream and hastily removed his pants and haori before slipping into the cold water.

The water was freezing but it did its job and cooled down his heated body. He sat on the cool stones at the bottom, allowing the current of the stream to rush around him. Staring up at the stars, he refused to touch himself. To do so would be to admit that he was aroused (_extremely aroused,_ a quiet voice whispered in the back of his mind), by Haruno Sakura of all people!

No, he decided. He was merely bathing, this had nothing to do with Sakura's tight body and her soft curves and her warm hands and her delicious lips—

"Damn it," he muttered, fists clenching. He needed to stop thinking. About Sakura. About anything in general.

Despite being a nineteen year old male, Sasuke had never had any real physical needs. Sure he was aware of the female body, he was also aware of the activities he could be partaking in with said female bodies. Activities that were rumored to be extremely enjoyable. But up until now he'd never found a woman who'd struck his interest. Most women saw him for his looks or his name.

"_I love you with all my heart! I'd do anything for you!"_

Just a few days back in Sakura's presence and all the memories he'd been trying to repress were crashing back. When they'd first met he was sure Sakura was like the rest of those damn fangirls, but once they became a team and got to know each other, she proved she would do anything to protect him. She genuinely cared for him. When she confessed her love for him that night so long ago, he admitted to himself he was actually touched by her words, but didn't have time to do much else about them. Leaving the girl on that bench was the best thing he could do for her back then.

Sakura was different now. She was strong and she was beautiful and she was extremely intelligent. But what was she doing at that brothel? He figured she was on some kind of mission—was she trying to take down the brothel? That would make sense if she were to infiltrate it under the guise of a citizen girl.

He would talk to her about it tomorrow. He hated feeling out of the loop and couldn't help but be curious about how much she'd progressed since they'd last seen each other. He wanted to know about Naruto, too. Even Kakashi.

Finally feeling calmed down, Sasuke rose from the water and dressed quickly. By the time he'd made it back to his team their campfire was dwindled down to a few logs still burning red orange.

All three looked up at him expectantly as he sat down. "You will stay for the rest of the week in case..._Rei_ finds anything else out, otherwise you're going to Earth Country. Got it?"

Suigetsu snickered, "In other words, you've got a week to win him over, Karin. Maybe you should take your top off—"

"SHUT YOUR TRAP!" Karin hurled her fist to his head and water sloshed everywhere as it disintegrated for a moment before reshaping to its original form. Suigetsu pouted, rubbing his head as he scooted away from her.

"Redheads," he muttered under his breath. "So testy."

* * *

"Rei-chan! You have a guest!"

Sakura's heart was pounding as she made her way towards the lobby. It had only been a day since she'd last seen Sasuke but there wasn't a single moment when she couldn't stop thinking about him. Was he thinking about her? Was he mad at her for not telling him who she was in the beginning? Did he still hate her? And what had that kiss been about?

Their eyes met and Sakura felt like she'd been shocked. Heart pounding, she bowed to him before leading him down the hall. They didn't talk as they walked and the silence was killing her. Could he hear how loud her heart was pounding?

Sasuke shut the door behind him and she sat down on the bed, not knowing what else to do with herself. He turned back to her before sitting with his back against the wall like he did when they'd talk before.

"Change back," he said quietly. She removed the transformation, suddenly feeling self-conscious around the Uchiha. Before she could act however she wanted, since he didn't really know it was her, but now she felt more on edge than when she'd had to pretend they were strangers.

"You're on a mission then."

She wasn't sure if that was a statement or a question, but she chose to answer anyway. "I'm to shut down Tenshi from the inside and free the girls."

"How long have you been here?"

"Almost two weeks now. Tsunade-shishou didn't specify how long it would take, though."

"And you're working alone?"

**What is this, twenty questions?** Inner Sakura spat, tugging at her hair.

"Yes," Sakura nodded. She puffed up a little with pride, "An A-rank solo mission, in fact."

"Tch," Sasuke scoffed, crossing his arms. "Well you're not doing very well apparently."

**Would pretty boy like to wear red today?** Inner Sakura seethed as she shook her fist.

Sakura wasn't feeling much different. "Excuse me?" she hissed, sitting up straighter. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Well you've been here for nearly two weeks and all you've found out about Akatsuki is that they _might_ have a base in Earth Country and you've made no attempts to take down that woman and her sons," Sasuke stated, somehow managing to speak in a monotone and still sound condescending at the same time.

"Well it's not that simple! I have to figure out their inner workings, come up with a game plan, make sure there won't be any ninja to surprise me when I attack, figure out a place to bring the girls, keep up my disguise, _and_ now I'm expected to play look out for you?!" Sakura snapped back, leaning forward on the bed.

"I could have done it when I was a _genin_," he shot back.

"Oh that's right, Mister High and Mighty, I forgot you were the _perfect_ ninja!" Sakura was fuming now, rising up onto her knees and clutching at the thin blanket in her fists. "Well I'll have you know that I have been training under the Godaime, I'm a top medic-nin at the hospital _and_ I'm expected to surpass Tsunade-shishou one day!"

Sasuke snorted, "That still doesn't change the fact that all you've managed to do here is wash some dishes and play hide-and-seek."

"Well I was also supposed to be looking for information on Akatsuki but if you don't need my help I'll just not pay them any attention then." Sakura's head jerked with every word, her voice dripping with malice.

"Fine," Sasuke roared back, "then I won't help _you_ take down Tenshi."

"Who said I wanted your help! I can handle this all by myself, thank you very much."

"Tch. Could've fooled me."

"You know what, I've had just about enough of you!" Sakura growled. "You come here, demand I find out about Akatsuki, let me cut your hair, _kiss_ me, and then insult me! You are the most infuriating man on the planet!"

"Well _you're_ just as annoying as you used to be!"

"Uchiha Sasuke if you call me annoying one more time I swear to Kami-sama I will rip out that pretty hair of yours and—"

"What's going on in here?" Jiro barked, shoving the door open. In her surprise, Sakura fell off the edge of the bed. Her face landed in Sasuke's stomach, which was rather handy as his raised knees hid her pink hair while she transformed back into Rei.

Unfortunately, it also put them in a very insinuating position.

Jiro raised his eyebrows as Sakura quickly lifted her head from Sasuke's lap. She could feel her face heating up as he eyed the two of them. Sasuke remained motionless, keeping his gaze locked on the bed behind Sakura.

"So," Jiro said with a sleazy smile. "You like it rough, eh?"

_Oh sweet Kami-sama, kill me now…_Sakura thought angrily in her head. Inner Sakura had passed out and was now fanning herself as she tried not to hyperventilate.

"I…er, we were just…role-playing, Jiro-sama," Sakura stuttered, not believing the words coming out of her mouth. He kept staring at her shoulder and it took her a moment to realize that her tunic had shifted during her fall and was now hanging off her shoulder, revealing her black bra strap. Not liking the way his beady eyes were watching her, Sakura tried to casually adjust her top before sitting up on the bed.

"Hm. Well, I'll just leave you to it then." As soon as he was gone, Sakura let out a deep sigh of relief. She flung herself backwards onto the bed, blowing her bangs out of her face as they drifted across her nose and eyes.

"I'm leaving," Sasuke announced and stood up. He seemed to have calmed down from their argument.

"See if I care," she snapped back. Okay so maybe _she_ still needed a little time to calm down herself…

"Sakura," he sighed. She picked her head up to look at him, his hand perched on the doorknob. "I'll…I'll do what I can while I'm here but if Akatsuki moves, then so do I."

She sat up quickly, ignoring the head rush that came from her actions. "Sasuke, that's…thank you."

"I won't stay for you."

"I understand. You have to do what you have to do," she nodded, giving him a sheepish smile. "I'll keep searching about Akatsuki."

"I…appreciate that," he managed and Sakura knew that was all that she would be able to get out of him.

"Until tomorrow then?"

He glanced back at her, "Tomorrow."

* * *

**Eh so it's a little short. It's a little rough too, but hey, I'm kind of rusty here guys. Don't I at least get points for updating?!**

**This chapter jumped around a lot, but I'm trying to get the plot moving again sooo…bare with me here :)**

**I'd love to hear what you thought, but please go easy on me! I've just recently come back to Naruto-verse and don't quite feel back in the zone yet. But have no fear, I'll work at it!**


	8. Eight

**Thank you so much for the great response! I'm so happy to find out that so many of you still wanted to read my story. You guys are the best!**

**Also, someone mentioned whether or not I'd be following the plot of the Naruto manga/anime and if I haven't mentioned before, seeing as Itachi isn't dead in this story, this is to be considered AU. I don't want to give anything else away so that's all I'm going to say (ooh a rhyme! haha)**

**Side Note: I wrote the third scene with a certain song on repeat. It's called **_**The Road to Austin**_** by the Section Quartet and I'm pretty sure I listened to it at least 100 times. It's from the soundtrack to the movie **_**Whip It**_**; it's only an instrumental piece, about two minutes long, but I feel it conveys the feeling I'm going for perfectly. I'd definitely recommend at least listening to the preview on iTunes or finding it on YouTube. It is truly magnificent.**

* * *

**EIGHT**

Sasuke was in a bad mood.

That morning he'd woken up in a cold sweat—after a night full of dreams of pink hair and green eyes and smooth legs and wet lips. After sneaking away from his team and taking a few minutes to control himself (aka kicking the shit out of some trees), he'd returned to find Karin and Suigetsu bickering while Juugo sat quietly off to the side, playing with a few birds on his arm. It was a strange sight for sure, but the quiet blonde had done it so many times lately that the group had grown accustomed to seeing him with various wildlife now.

Suigetsu, sensing how tense he was, offered to train with him and he agreed, needing something to distract him, even for just an hour.

He was disappointed to find out, however, that training did nothing to distract him.

Every time he leapt at Suigetsu, a flash of green would catch his eye, drawing his attention. He jumped down from a tree and a breeze brushed past him, carrying the light scent of wildflowers, smelling exactly like the unique fragrance he'd come to know _her_ for. Once he thought he'd heard the sound of her laughter, no it was just a bird calling out.

_Damn it,_ he thought to himself. _This is ridiculous. Why can't I get her out of my head? And why the _fuck_ did I kiss her? That was stupid—I can't lose it like that again. The best way to handle this would be to break all contact with her._

He sent a hard kick to Suigetsu's ribs, not even flinching when the shark man's watery side rippled as it reformed after a moment. He smirked to himself, satisfied with this new plan.

_But…I told her I'd help her. She didn't even ask me, I just offered. I've never offered to help someone before. It's just to take down one of Akatsuki's bases, though. Sakura being there is just coincidence. Fuck. This is—_

It took him a moment to realize that Karin was screaming. He'd been zoning in and out of the fight and had come back just as Suigetsu was swinging that ridiculously large sword of his right in his direction.

With a low curse, Sasuke jumped back and managed to avoid most of the blow. The tip of the sword dug into his side, missing his ribs but definitely doing some damage. Karin raced over to them, shoving Suigetsu for being so careless.

"You idiot!" she shouted, the white haired man rolled his eyes as covered his ears. "What were you thinking?!"

"I figured he'd dodge the blow!" Suigetsu shouted back and everyone turned to the Uchiha, watching as he opened his dark haori and eyed the bleeding gash on his side. Damn. He _should_ have been paying attention.

This was all Sakura's fault. She was so damn annoying! If she had just stayed out of his life, everything would have been a lot easier. He needed to focus on his revenge, not some silly girl from his past. And now here she was distracting him to the point of injury.

He closed his haori back around him, choosing to ignore the wound. He was going to go see her and prove that Sakura had no effect on him. He had to.

Stalking past the others, Sasuke grabbed his sword and took off for the brothel, determined to get Sakura out of his head.

The gash in his side throbbed every time he landed on a branch as he tree-hopped, but he just gritted his teeth and pushed forward. This _was_ all Sakura's fault, after all. If she hadn't been so damn annoying he wouldn't have gotten hit in the first place!

Sasuke was in a bad mood.

* * *

Sakura was losing her mind.

That night she'd dreamt of dark hair and sexy smirks and intense eyes and strong arms—waking up to feel the place between her legs wetter than she'd ever felt before. Even thinking about her dreams now had her hastily rubbing her thighs together in hopes of easing some of the tension.

Damn it, why did that bastard have to affect her so? Why couldn't he have just remained a distant, painful memory and let her continue living her new life?

She scowled to herself as she looked down at her task at hand. She was sitting in a back room, a pile of dirty sheets beside her as she dragged a bucket full of soapy water towards her. Adjusting her position on the stool she was seated on, Sakura grabbed another white sheet and frowned at the numerous blood—and other unmentionable—stains she found.

Wiping a loose strand of hair away from her eyes with a soapy hand, Sakura let out a frustrated sigh as she scrubbed at the blanket. Staring at the wet cloth in her hands, she darkly wondered how many virginities had been taken in these blankets.

**None anymore if we have anything to say about it! **Inner Sakura declared, slamming her fist into her hand.

Sakura nodded to herself, _Now I just need to come up with a plan. As much as I hate to agree with him, Sasuke was right, it's time to take action. But how?_

Jiro and Goro's voices drifted into the room and she looked over at an air vent in the corner. Moving her supplies over there, Sakura strained to listen to the men's conversation.

"We've got to find _some_ place to keep the money, Okaa-san doesn't want to keep it locked in the safe anymore. She said it's not secure enough," Jiro was saying.

_So their money is kept in a safe,_ Sakura thought to herself. _I wonder where that safe is…_

"Well it's not like we can just go deposit it at a bank!" Goro snapped back. "I don't see why we can't just let Okaa deal with this. Isn't _she_ supposed to be in charge of running the business?"

"She is. And right now she needs us to come up with a place to keep our funds so we don't lose the business she's so busy running!"

_I bet if I got a hold of their funds, they wouldn't be able to keep the brothel up anymore! They need money to support this kind of place, right?_ Sakura scrubbed at the stained sheets, biting her lip in concentration as she began formulating a plan. _Maybe if I could find out where they keep it, I could hide it and then they'd _have_ to give the girls up. There's no way they could keep up a brothel with starving girls._

She smirked happily, proud of her new plan. Suddenly the condescending face of a certain missing-nin appeared in her mind.

"_I could have done it when I was a _genin_."_

Sakura gritted her teeth, angrily throwing the soaked blanket into the bucket as she groaned. "He is _so _arrogant! I'd like to take one of these wet blankets and just wipe that stupid smirk off of his pretty face!"

She frowned, "I mean, off his…face. It's not like he's _that_ attractive, even though _he_ seems to think so. He's just got that whole bad boy thing going for him—and those eyes that can see into your soul, and that smirk of his, and _Kami-sama_ his muscles…"

Shaking her head suddenly, Sakura decided she'd been cooped up for too long and moved to open the window. She stood and as she turned, her foot got caught in a blanket and she ended up knocking the bucket over as it splashed all over her. She sat in a soapy puddle, pouting, and threw herself backwards with a groan.

"Rei-chan, are you in here? Oh…" Lifting her head up, she saw Haruka and Kumiko laughing as they peered in the doorway.

"Is someone having a rough day?" Haruka teased.

"Go ahead, laugh it up," Sakura snarled before sitting up and ringing out her hair.

"We came to tell you your…friend is here," Kumiko said quietly, holding up a hand to hide her giggles.

"Do you want us to wash your clothes for you?"

Sakura blinked, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Haruka shrugged, "I figured we could wash your clothes for you while you were with him, you know…since you won't be needing them."

Sakura's face flushed at the insinuation. Damn that Sasuke! Always making her blush. She hoisted herself up, frowning at her water-logged clothes.

"No, I'll be fine, thanks," she said quickly, moving past her friends.

"Suit yourself!" Haruka called after her. "Although, I suppose they're clean enough after your little spill!"

Sakura huffed, raising her hand and holding up her middle finger without looking back at the pair. It wasn't her fault she'd been distracted by the sexiest man alive (_er…_she coughed, _so _some_ believed…_ )! She blamed him for entering her thoughts.

Damn it, Sakura was losing her mind.

* * *

When they got to their room, Sakura removed her disguise right away. Now that she and Sasuke had come to some kind of common ground, she felt more comfortable being Sakura around him. She smiled softly at him before sitting next to him on the bed, playing with the end of her braid nervously.

"Have you found anything?" he asked, getting right to the point.

"I've come up with an idea to take down Tenshi," Sakura began, looking over at him to make sure she had his attention. His gaze was at the floor, but judging by the expression on his face, he was listening to her. "I heard them saying that they keep their money locked in a safe somewhere. I think if I can get a hold of that money their business will go under and they'll have to—"

"It won't work," Sasuke interrupted. She blinked up at him in surprise and outrage, but before she could get a word out he gave her an explanation. "As long as Akatsuki is using this place, funds aren't going to be a problem. They'll find some way to support it as long as they need it.

"You won't be able to shut this place down with Akatsuki here. They'll support it financially if they have to and I can guarantee they'll protect it, too," he continued. "The only way you'll be able to bring Tenshi down is when Akatsuki isn't here."

His final statement hung in the air, they both knew what that meant. Sakura wouldn't have a chance to bring the brothel down until Akatsuki left.

And with Akatsuki went Sasuke.

Clearing her throat nervously, Sakura decided it was time to change the subject. She asked the Uchiha about his new team and at his annoyed facial change, she could tell he was just as put off by social interaction as he used to be.

"How's that girl? Still fangirling over you?" she teased, scooting over and elbowing him in the ribs.

Sasuke tensed, sucking in a quick breath of air that Sakura wouldn't have heard had she not been a kunoichi. His face showed no sign of pain aside from the slight twitch of his mouth but Sakura knew instantly something was wrong.

"You're hurt," she said quietly, ignoring how awkward the comment sounded.

Inner Sakura wasn't as forgiving: **Gee, how scientific of you,** she stated dryly.

"I'm fine," he grunted, pulling away from her soft hands.

"Sasuke," she growled, pawing at his haori and searching his chest for any signs of injury. "Stop being a baby and let me look at you! I _am_ a medic after all."

With an annoyed huff, Sasuke relented, allowing Sakura to pull off his haori. Her vibrant eyes widened at the sight of the gash on his side. It was caked with blood and it looked like infection was beginning to set in.

"Kami, Sasuke," she breathed, running tentative fingers along the edges of it. "What happened?"

"Hn."

She smirked knowingly as she got onto her knees in front of him, "Let me guess—you got careless while you were training, right?"

He scowled and looked away from her. At the feel of her hands softly pushing his knees apart, he tensed, but eventually calmed as she moved in closer and pressed them to his wound. Her healing chakra flowed through him, he'd never felt so at peace before. Back in Oto, he'd never let Kabuto heal him—the gray haired medic felt so invasive, like a parasite.

Sakura's healing touch, however, was warm and caring—it reminded him of his mother's hugs after he'd gotten hurt as a child.

After she was done, Sakura ran her fingers along the healed skin. She looked up tentatively and got caught in Sasuke's dark gaze as he looked down at her from his position on the bed. Her eyes found another nasty scar on his left pectoral, her soft fingers drifting up there and tracing the raised flesh.

"How'd you get this one?" she asked quietly.

"Poisoned blade."

"It wasn't healed correctly," she informed him, even though she was sure he'd figured that one on his own. "I can't make the scar go away but I can heal some of the damage and remove the last of the poison."

She took his silence as consent and rushed her chakra into his body once again. His body was so firm beneath her touch, she was amazed by the powerful strength she felt in his muscles.

Pulling her hand away, she frowned slightly at the slight scar that remained. Once again she traced her fingers along it. His torso was littered with scars, marring his otherwise perfect skin.

Sakura stared at the scar over his heart, feeling a strange pull to it. Her chakra might not have been able to heal his scars, but a faint voice in the back of her mind wondered if there was something else that could.

She felt rather than heard his startled gasp as she oh so gently pressed her lips to the scar, then moved to kiss every scar she could find on his body. He remained tense and his stomach muscles jumped with every touch of her lips.

He didn't tell her to stop, however, so she wasn't going to.

Sakura kissed her way down his torso, pouring everything that she was feeling into her actions. She made her way down to his navel and his breathing hitched. Eying the dark trail of hair there that drifted down into his pants, she leaned down and pressed her lips there too. Her own breath hitched at the feel of his hardness brushing against her breasts as she moved. The contact sent a heated jolt directly between her thighs.

Suddenly his hands moved to her shoulders and she looked up, gasping at the heated gaze she saw. Sasuke stared down at her in silence for a moment before hoisting her up onto his lap and drawing her mouth to his.

Sakura, stunned, sat there for a moment, allowing him to stroke her back and move his mouth over hers. Eventually she began to respond, clutching at his shoulders and sliding forward until their bodies were pressed together. She let out a breathless moan as her fingers slid into his hair, angling her head so their mouths could fit together better.

Their tongues met hotly, dancing to the beat of their throbbing pulses. Her hands gripped any part of his body they could get to, she dragged her fingernails across his shoulder blades as he held her to him.

They parted for a brief moment, panting as they stared at each other in silence. Neither one of them seemed to be able to speak, as if a hazy spell had been cast over them. Sasuke shifted, laying her down on the bed before crawling back on top of her. His knees rested at her hips as Sakura pulled his head down to meet hers. Her heart was pounding, could he hear it? Their chests pressed together, could he feel it?

And more importantly, was his pounding just as hard as well?

She slid a hand down to press against his chest, right above where the scar rested.

Yes, it turned out, it was.

He moved his lips down her throat, biting lightly once he got to her shoulder and then soothing the mark with his hot tongue. Her back arched and she whimpered. She couldn't believe the feelings this man created inside her.

Sasuke's hands moved down to her stomach, tracing over the firm muscles there and smirking into her neck at the feel of them jerking under his touch. He kissed her collar bone before pulling back and removing her tunic. Sakura's hair had come undone from its braid and it lay around her like a pink, unruly halo.

In their time apart, she had become more beautiful than he could ever imagine.

He lowered back down on top of her, their stomachs were hot against each other as they met. He couldn't believe how soft her skin felt against his.

As their lips met yet again, parting so their tongues could dance together as well, Sasuke traced his hands up to her breasts. His thumbs rubbed over her bra first, feeling the way her nipples strained against the fabric with just that small amount of attention. Sakura cried out as his hands slipped under her black bra, cupping the warm flesh there.

She moved her hands from his strong biceps to her pants, sick of their restraints. He helped her push the fabric over her slim hips and smirked down at her when she hastily kicked them away.

At the sight of his amusement, she raised her eyebrows and lifted one leg around his waist, grinding their heat together. Sasuke groaned, leaning his forehead into the mattress next to her head.

He pulled back to look at her; she was wearing a plain black bra and panty set, nothing overly sexy about them and the fabric had become rough from having been scrubbed in a sink or the shower during the duration of her mission, but Sakura had never looked more beautiful in his eyes.

He lowered his head, brushing his lips against hers once softly before pulling away to kiss down to her chest. Sasuke's hands released the clasp to her bra and together they slid it down her arms. He tossed the scrap of fabric to the side as her legs wrapped around his hips.

Her chest heaved and she let out a breathless cry as his mouth descended to one of her firm breasts. Sakura clutched at his dark hair, the strands thick and soft between her fingers. She was actually surprised by how soft Sasuke's hair was, she'd been expecting it to be coarse and rough like the rest of him. But, she decided as his lips sucked at her nipple and his tongue laved at it afterwards, maybe she didn't really mind this new softness to him.

In fact, with the way his strong hands were stroking lower and lower down her stomach, she found that she didn't really mind at all.

He cupped her heat and her hips bucked up into him. As his long fingers moved inside her, his lips continued their assault on her breasts, the double stimulation bringing her closer and closer to ecstasy. Sakura threaded one hand through Sasuke's raven hair and the other one clutched at his bicep, feeling the muscles there move as he stroked her.

It was all becoming too much for her, and not enough at the same time.

Sasuke hit a place deep inside her and Sakura let out a choked gasp. She was so close. And then suddenly he was pulling away from her, kissing her breasts one last time before rolling to the side.

She opened her mouth to protest but found no sound could come out as she watched him slide his dark pants down his legs. She didn't think it was possible but she became even wetter at the sight of his lean, naked body.

Sasuke actually gave her a boyish smirk when he noticed her eyeing him. He glanced down at her panties and she almost thought he looked a little shy as his hands slowly moved to pull them down as well.

Suddenly there was nothing separating the two.

Sasuke slid on top of her again, their heated, sweat-slicked bodies moving together effortlessly. It was amazing how well their bodies fit together—almost as if each were made to perfectly complement the other.

Her aching breasts rubbed against his firm chest and she knew she was ready for this moment to happen. Had been for a long time.

Wordlessly, Sasuke glanced down at her through his bangs. A silent question lingered between them and Sakura answered by wrapping her legs around his waist.

He leaned over her, pressing his lips ever so gently to hers as he moved past her lower lips and into her wet heat. She anticipated the pain but still didn't know what to expect at the same time.

No amount of magazines or stories from Ino could have prepared her.

It wasn't like the swift pain from a kunai, or the blunt pain from a well-aimed punch. It was more like uncomfortable stretching, and then painful stretching, and then suddenly there was a sharp pinch and all that was left was discomfort at something new stretching muscles that had never been used before.

Sasuke's stomach rested on top of hers, his hips pressing against hers. All that could be heard in the room was their heavy panting. Sakura stared up at the ceiling, gently feeling down there mentally and testing the new experience. The pain had dulled to a slight throbbing but she could deal with that.

She squeezed her legs around Sasuke's hips and slowly he began to pull away. Sakura gasped at the feel of him sliding against her innermost walls. Sasuke's hands gripped at her hips as he pushed back in just as slowly and soon they developed a steady rhythm.

His bangs brushed against her forehead and she tilted her head up to look into his eyes. They were dark, swirling like a starless night sky. Sakura slid a hand up from his shoulder blades to the back of his head, drawing it down to meet hers. Their lips came together easily, as if they were born to do this, and their tongues lazily moved together.

At a particularly angled thrust, Sakura gasped, clutching him closer to him. Sasuke began thrusting faster and suddenly she could feel the white hot bubble growing inside her stomach burst. Light flashed in her eyes as waves of ecstasy flooded through her body. A few moments later she felt him stiffen and thrust inside her one last time before tensing above her. Warmth flooded inside her and then he relaxed, lowering his head next to hers on the pillow.

Sakura didn't mind Sasuke's weight on top of her—it made her feel safe and warm, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time. She wrapped her arms around him, allowing herself to close her eyes and relish the feeling of him so close to her.

She found it interesting that her first time would be with the last person she'd ever expected.

But maybe, in a way, a part of her knew it would be him. It was always him.

* * *

**Sorry for a delayed update! I didn't have a lot of free time and I also wanted to take my time to perfect this chapter. I wrote the lemon scene differently than my others so I wanted to make sure it really worked. I'm really satisfied with it and I hope you all are too!**

**I'd love some feedback :)**


	9. Nine

**Thanks for all the great reviews!**

* * *

**NINE**

They laid next to each other in silence, the sides of their arms and legs close but not quite touching. After a few minutes their heated, sweat-slicked skin had begun to cool and Sasuke had wordlessly lifted the discarded blanket to cover them.

He had tucked his hands up behind his head and Sakura couldn't help but peek at him occasionally from the corner of her eye. She bit the side of her cheek before letting out a heavy sigh.

_Isn't there usually more to it after?_ she wondered to herself.

**Ino-chan always talks about how she cuddles with Shikamaru after! **Inner Sakura offered.

_Yeah, she has said she likes it almost as much as the actual sex part…_

**Well what are we waiting for?** her alter ego continued, clapping her hands together. **Go make a move, sister!**

Sakura gulped, glancing at the Uchiha once more. She nodded to herself, working up the nerve and lifting her torso so she could move to rest her head on his chest. Sasuke tensed immediately, but she had been expecting that.

She knew him well enough to sense that he was waiting for her to retreat back to the other side of the bed but she was going to stand her ground on this one. They'd just slept together, damn it! The least he could do was hold her for a while and maybe _pretend_ that they were a normal boy and girl who'd just had sex for the first time.

Sasuke seemed to have the same train of thought, because after a few moments he finally brought one hand down to rest on her back, tangling with the ends of her pink locks. Sakura couldn't help but smile, tucking her face into his broad chest so he wouldn't see her and think she was a crazy person. One hand slid up to rest next to her face, lightly tracing patterns on his smooth skin. He tensed and she wondered if she was making him uncomfortable, being so touchy-feely all the sudden.

She decided to ask him a question to distract him, just in case.

Sasuke had tensed at the feel of her feather-light touch on his chest. Damn it, it was bad enough she'd pressed her soft body to his side and slid a leg between his, now she was rubbing him?! In all honesty, it wasn't that he minded the physical closeness for once—because he actually didn't—but didn't Sakura realize that those subtle touches of hers and the way she was rubbing her foot along his calf were driving him crazy! He needed to get a hold of himself before he did something reckless.

_Like pull her tight little body fully on top of him so he could lower her onto his—_

"Did you ever think of us?"

Her voice was so low, barely a whisper, that it took him a moment to really register what she'd asked him. He felt her hand stop moving as she awaited his response.

He cleared his throat, not really knowing how to answer. Sasuke knew what she wanted to hear, and while he hadn't necessarily thought about them or reminisced, he couldn't deny that she and Naruto had occasionally crossed his mind. Once he'd met 'Rei', however, it had become practically impossible to get the pink-haired medic out of his head.

Not that he was about to tell _her_ that.

"Did you ever think about me?" he countered.

_Every day, whether I'd admit it or not. _"Sometimes," she vaguely answered, her fingers continuing their dance on his firm pectoral muscles. "I…we worried about you."

"We?"

"All of us," she said instantly, how could he not include Kakashi-sensei and Naruto? Didn't he realize that they were a package deal? "Kakashi-sensei is still training genin teams, although I think he and Iruka-sensei are going to settle down soon."

"Kakashi and…Iruka?"

Sakura giggled, patting his stomach, "Trust me on this one."

"Hn. And what about the dobe? Is he still obsessed with becoming the Rokudaime?"

She couldn't help but be surprised at Sasuke's questions, she had expected to be the one initiating everything. But he was showing interest in them—in his past—and if that meant he was more willing to consider returning to Konoha after his revenge than she'd realized, then she wasn't about to deny him.

"Naruto has gotten quite strong over the years. He's a lot taller than me now, too," Sasuke looked down to see her pouting slightly and smirked.

"I hate to break it to you, but that's not much of a difficulty."

"_Anyway,_" she continued quickly, "I will be genuinely surprised if he doesn't become the next Hokage after Tsunade-shishou. Everyone in the village is expecting him to be her successor. I'm very proud of him."

Something in the way she spoke about Naruto didn't sit well with Sasuke. "And you two are…close?"

She arched an eyebrow but nodded nonetheless, "Yes he's my best friend. After you…well, over the years we've learned to depend on one another. We've always been there for each other and I like spending time with him."

They were quiet for a minute, Sasuke gritted his teeth, anxiously wanting Sakura to answer his most important question but refusing to ask her.

It turned out, he didn't have to.

"Naruto and Hinata-chan started dating nearly two years ago…remember that story I told you about my friend and me setting a couple up?"

Sasuke nodded, his fingers starting to play with her hair and trace along her smooth shoulders. "Let me guess…you and Yamanaka?"

She grinned up at him and let out a sheepish laugh, "Yeah. Ino-pig and I waited for _years_ for them to get together and finally we knew we had to take things into our own hands. I've never seen him happier. They're so good together."

Suddenly the smile slid off her face and she tentatively rested her head against his chest once again, "But…I wasn't sure for a while. Sometimes…sometimes I think that if…certain parts of my life had turned out differently, maybe my relationship with Naruto would have, too."

Sasuke didn't miss her implication—if it weren't for _him_, she probably would have loved Naruto. His jaw clenched and he barely noticed that his entire body had tensed. Sakura picked up on his changed disposition as well, brushing her hand up and down his side to calm him. She pressed her lips to his chest before nuzzling there and eventually Sasuke returned to his previous mellow state.

"And what about my replacement?" he finally managed, changing the subject to a safer one.

"Sai? He's not you're replacement." _No one could ever replace you, Sasuke-kun._

"He took my place in Team Seven, didn't he?"

"Yes…" Sakura's side was growing numb so she shifted her body even further on top of his, letting out a choked breath when the coarse hair on his thigh brushed against her core. She had to take a moment to collect herself—much to his male satisfaction and her complete mortification—before she could continue. "Naruto and I did think of him like that at first, and we didn't get along at all…but eventually we became friends. We don't see him as a replacement now, but more of an…addition to the team."

"You said you were training under the Godaime," he continued. Sakura's eyebrows raised—she was pretty sure the only time she'd mentioned that was when they'd been arguing. He'd actually been listening to her?

"Uh, yeah," she hastily answered, afraid he was wondering why she wasn't answering. "For several years. I work in the hospital mostly now."

"You always did have the strongest chakra control of the three of us," Sasuke commented. "You have…come very far over the years."

Sakura's face heated up—was that a compliment?

She stared at a freckle on his shoulder, "Thank you. I've worked very hard to get to where I am today."

"I'm sure you have."

"I'm not weak anymore."

"I know."

"Sasuke…" she breathed, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to kiss him. Not caring that she probably seemed desperate, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. She braced herself on her elbow, her other hand sliding up to grip at the back of his head.

Sasuke's hand on her back tightened its grip, his other one resting at her shoulder. Her tongue stroked his, curling around it and encouraging it into her own mouth. They sat like that for a while, kissing lazily while pulling the other one closer from time to time.

Eventually he pulled back, gripping her plump bottom lip between his teeth before releasing it. Their foreheads pressed together as they caught their breath, "I should leave. I've already been here too long."

Sakura nodded, giving herself one last moment in his arms before lifting up onto her knees and sliding to the side of the bed. They dressed quickly in silence before turning back to each other.

She played with her fingers, not sure how to say goodbye to him. Was it too forward to kiss him? Should she hug him? It seemed like they were beyond a handshake and a wave just seemed ridiculous.

"Sakura," his deep baritone brought her out of her jumbled thoughts. "Thank you."

Her face flushed at his words, remembering another time when he'd said them to her. At least this time she knew what he was thanking her for. At least…she was pretty sure.

Sakura nodded, "When will you be back?"

"Tomorrow night. Try to find out any more that you can."

"I will. I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke-kun."

His onyx eyes searched her face briefly before he raised his hand to cup her cheek, tracing his calloused thumb along her swollen lips. Her heart skipped a beat at the action that somehow had managed to feel much more intimate than a simple kiss.

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

Sakura awoke to screams.

It was still dark out, but the sun seemed to be just beyond the horizon, morning would be here soon.

She sat up quickly in her bunk, her hair whipping around her face as she looked around. Both Haruka and Kumiko's bunks were empty. Something wasn't right; she could feel it in her gut.

Some of the other bunks were vacated as well but that was always the case in a brothel. Sakura couldn't get past the feeling that her friends were in trouble. She hastily kicked the thin blanket covering her legs to the floor and got to her feet.

The screams only got louder as she ran across the hall and down the stairs. Her long hair flew around her, having come free from the braid overnight. By now Sakura could hear several voices—someone was arguing.

She raced down the hall to the lobby and froze in her tracks at what she saw.

Naomi stood next to a man, gripping a shaking Kumiko by the upper arm. The poor girl looked sickly and fragile. Naomi's movements tossed the blonde about like a limp rag doll. To the side, Jiro and Goro held onto a struggling Haruka. She snarled, her fingernails turning to claws as she dug them into the men's skin.

"Get the fuck away from her!" she growled, kicking her legs out as Jiro and Goro lifted her slightly. Her teal eyes landed on Sakura and the medic was instantly frozen into shock at the fear in the older girl's eyes.

"Rei-chan, you have to help Kumiko! He wants to tie her up and whip her! He wants to—"

Jiro clamped his large hand over her mouth, shoving her head back into the wall. Sakura winced at the loud crack that resonated.

"That'll be enough from you, Haruka," Naomi said curtly, keeping her gaze on Kumiko. "Rei. Go back upstairs, you have no reason to be here."

Sakura's eyebrows narrowed as she watched Naomi drag Kumiko over to the man. She saw the forehead protector resting above his brow line—he was a ninja, a Mist ninja. His eyes looked downright predatory when they landed on Kumiko and Sakura felt a wave of protectiveness flow through her.

"Boys," Naomi turned to her sons, "while I prepare Kumiko for our customer, you may take Haruka-chan upstairs. Do whatever you want with her."

Goro sneered at the girl, "How's a little _pain_ sound, lovely? You've been pretty _naughty_ today." He and his brother started to drag Haruka off in one direction, laughing at the way she attempted to break free from their grasps, and Naomi yanked Kumiko to follow her.

Time seemed to stand still as the girl peeked up at Sakura through her straw colored hair, tears glistening on her cheeks as she wordlessly dragged her feet behind her captor. Sakura's heart pounded in her breast with a newfound rage and a surge of power.

**You're messing with the wrong kunoichi!**__Inner Sakura roared.

"Don't you dare touch them!" Sakura screamed, slamming her fist into a wall. Everyone froze as they watched the drywall crack and then shatter. Then they turned to her in shock and it wasn't until a lock of her hair—her _pink_ hair—flew into her face that she realized she'd released the jutsu in her show of anger.

"Who are you?" Naomi hissed.

"I know her," the Mist nin said at the same time. "She's a kunoichi from the Hidden Leaf Village."

He cracked his knuckles and smirked darkly at her, "I can handle this one. In fact, I think I'll have her and _then_ the lovely Kumiko."

He lunged towards her and Sakura quickly leapt into the air above him, watching as he slammed into the wall behind her. She jumped onto a table and it shattered beneath her. Naomi and her sons dragged her friends away but she couldn't chase after them because the Mist nin was racing towards her once again. He threw several kunai at her, she managed to dodge getting hit by all of them but a few did slice through her tunic and pants.

Sick of this ninja—she had better things to do with her time, like find her friends!—Sakura jumped high into the air once again, channeling all of her chakra into one fist as she landed. She slammed her powerful fist into the tiled floor beneath her and the entire foundation of the place shook as the ground cracked. The ninja was knocked off his feet and she felt a small wave of satisfaction at the surprised look on his face.

**That's right, asshat, we're not some ordinary kunoichi!** Inner Sakura shouted.

"Rei!" Haruka shouted from quite a distance away. Sakura looked up in the direction her friend's voice came from but didn't have a chance to follow because the entire building was beginning to collapse. Bits of ceiling and drywall collapsed everywhere around them and Sakura had to dodge as quickly as she could to avoid being hit.

A shuriken whizzed her way and she winced at the sharp slice it made in her upper bicep. Blood instantly trickled down her arm but she didn't have time to heal it. Half of the building collapsed, the early morning sun blinking in through various cracks in the walls and ceiling.

_Damn it,_ Sakura thought to herself. _Where is he?_

She saw a flash of the ninja's hair but suddenly he was the last of her worries as a huge chunk of the cement ceiling above her cracked from its hold. It landed on top of her heavily, rushing all of the air out of her lungs and pressing cruelly on her ribs. She was surprised none of them had snapped on impact.

Her right arm was pinned beneath her in such a way that she couldn't seem to get free. The rubble on top of her was large enough to cover her entire torso and press into the back of her head, so she could barely look up and check out her surroundings.

The rest of the building had collapsed around her, sending a cloud of dust and crumbled drywall everywhere. She coughed as she attempted to breathe in some clean air. There was hardly any oxygen in her lungs and this dust wasn't helping.

Attempting to use her free arm to shove the rubble off of her, Sakura hissed at the sharp jolt of pain that ran through her forearm and up to her shoulder. Her left radius was fractured, in possibly more than one place, and without being able to heal it, there was no possible way for her to lift the concrete off of her with that arm.

Another shuriken shot towards her, imbedding itself in one of her calves. Sakura groaned, arching her head up as far as she could to see the shinobi smirking malevolently at her from a tree. He stood, and Sakura knew it was his intent to end things now.

Panic surged through her as he leapt high into the air, pulling out a large club from his side and holding it above his head. Despite the burning pain in her left arm, Sakura managed to brace herself with it as she gathered up all the chakra she could muster into her torso. He was getting closer and closer; she crouched down and then with all her might, hoisted the concrete slab off of her back, rolling away just as his club struck the ground where she'd just been. It shattered another chunk of concrete and she couldn't help but shudder at the realization that that had almost been her skull.

Sakura looked down at herself, her left forearm was bent unnaturally and had begun to bruise an ugly yellow and purple, her clothing was dirty and torn, her calf and shoulder were bleeding, and bruises were already beginning to form all over her body. She had little chakra left; she would have to save it to fight him off instead of healing herself.

Movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention; she gasped as she saw Naomi and Jiro dragging some girls away from the rubble and into the woods. Goro was behind them, herding the rest of the girls. He shoved some of the stragglers and pulled them by the hair if they were still walking too slowly.

She didn't have a chance to get to them before the ninja had returned to her vision. He ran towards her and Sakura quickly kicked him in the jaw before back-flipping several feet away from her, cradling her broken arm close to her side. Her vision began to blur and she started swaying back and forth. She knew she was losing this battle quickly. Blood dribbled out of her nose and down her chin, but she didn't even bother to wipe it away, never letting her eyes leave the shinobi across from her.

Blood was heavily pouring from his mouth and nose, which he wiped away with his sleeve before narrowing his eyes at her. He raced towards her once more, this time engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Sakura was barely able to block his attacks, let alone lay any herself. She was fading fast and needed to take drastic action. Mustering up the little chakra she had left, she ducked a blow and punched the ground below them. Trees shook and fell to the forest floor, as did the shinobi.

Her move created enough time for Sakura to run away from him, leaning against a fallen tree for support. Her arm throbbed and the pain was just about the only thing keeping her awake right now.

She took a moment to catch her breath before expanding her chest. "SASUKE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. That action alone had taken a lot out of her and Sakura had to use her good arm to hang on to a tree branch in order to remain standing. She raised the last of her chakra up and down as means of a ninja SOS, hoping he would get her message.

He was her last hope.

Unfortunately, her actions also alerted the Mist shinobi of her location. He was just as ragged as she was and, judging by the way he was favoring his right side, she guessed she had done some damage to his ribs with that last ground-shattering punch.

Across the remains of the building, Sakura saw Goro carrying an unconscious Haruka over his shoulder, her head lolling to the side to reveal a large gash across her forehead.

The sight of her friend ripped at Sakura's heart. Even though she could barely hold herself up, she tried to make her way over to them. The sound of hurried footfalls didn't reach her ears until it was too late.

The Mist nin was behind her, bringing his fist down hard on the back of her head. Her entire body jerked at the impact before rushing to the round, where her forehead collided with a thick tree trunk.

Sakura couldn't move. Her hair fell in her face and blocked most of her vision, but she could see the shinobi standing over her, his back arched unnaturally in pain. Blood trickled down her face from where the rough bark of the tree had bit into her skin. Her vision grew black around the edges and as her eyes closed; a faint blue light glowed behind her eyelids.

As she drifted off into unconsciousness, Sakura's last thoughts were that she must be losing her mind, because she swore she could hear thousands of birds chirping.

* * *

**I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am **_**not**_** an action writer. I am a romance writer, occasionally a comedy writer, and maybe even a drama writer. Action is not my strong suit, but somehow I always end up putting myself in these situations where action scenes are required.**

**Anyway, I hope it seemed, if not realistic, at least plausible. Let me know what you thought—I'd love some constructive criticism to help improve my action scene skills! (Key word here: **_**constructive**_**. Flames belong in the campfire, not the review.)**


	10. Ten

**Disclaimer: I am just a poor college student. I own nothing.**

**Sorry for the long update! I'm out of creative excuses…**

* * *

**TEN**

Sakura could hear soft voices in the distance. Everything was dark.

Was she dead?

No. A twig was digging into her back and her left arm was throbbing. Death had to be more pleasant than that.

She shifted and felt cool grass tickling her bare arms and legs. So she was laying on the ground somewhere. Had she been captured?

Listening to the low voices, Sakura figured out that there were at least two males. She could sense their chakra—they were both ninja, one felt faintly familiar. Maybe she'd met with him on a previous mission some time? It didn't matter, she'd find out who he was soon enough. Opening her eyes slightly, she peered around through her eyelashes, trying to get a good look of her surroundings and maybe see who her company was.

There was a flash of white hair and the next thing she knew a face was hovering over hers upside down.

"So you're awake!"

Blinking her eyes several times, Sakura looked up at the man currently leaning over her. Her eyes zeroed in on his sharp teeth and realized with a quick, startled breath that she knew _exactly_ who had saved her.

"Suigetsu, right?" she groaned, using her good arm to push herself up into a sitting position. Her head was pounding, she pressed her palm to her forehead in attempt bring some relief.

The white haired man blinked at her in surprise, glancing at his large blonde companion. "How do you know me?"

Sakura smiled up at him and reached her hand over to her broken arm, setting the bones back in place before healing the remaining damage as she let out a shaky breath through gritted teeth, "We've already met, you probably don't recognize me."

Both males' eyes widened as she briefly changed her appearance to Rei's before restoring her pink tresses and jade eyes.

"Rei?" Suigetsu breathed, scratching his head. "I can't believe it! You're a ninja?"

Sakura nodded, "I'm on a mission of my own, I happened to meet you and Sasuke by chance. My name is Sakura."

She turned to the other man, "You must be Juugo—Sasuke's told me a lot about you."

Suigetsu snorted, "_Sasuke_ did? Are you sure we're talking about the same guy?"

That brought a smile to Sakura's face, "Yeah, weird, I know. We never used to talk that much when we were younger."

"You knew each other when you were young?" Juugo questioned softly.

Sakura flushed, did Sasuke want them to know about his past? She figured she could at least give a vague response. "We were teammates before he left for Sound."

"You're a Leaf?"

**Damn straight!** Inner Sakura roared happily.

Sakura smiled, looking down as she healed a few more of her wounds. "Yeah, I am." It was then that she noticed her chest and abdomen were covered only by the thin material of white bandages, her face flushed and her head shot up.

"Who put these on me?" she snapped.

Suigetsu looked nervously at Juugo who calmly stated, "Sasuke."

"Sasuke?" _Why would he do that? He saved me and—_

"Honestly, Sasuke-kun she's probably on the brink of death anyway! I say you just toss her body into the river and move on! I can be here for you instead…"

Sakura looked behind her to see Sasuke and a red haired woman. He regarded her calmly while the woman scowled down at her, pushing her glasses up on her nose with a scoff.

"Sasuke."

"Sakura."

Their tense staring contest was broken by Suigetsu's snort, "Well _that_ was anti-climactic."

They both looked at him then back to each other. "You helped me," she said quietly.

His dark eyes were unwavering, "I told you I would," he answered simply.

She wanted to ask him if he was the one who bandaged her up, but she knew now wasn't the time. Not with the other three listening to their every word. Sakura cleared her throat, dropping her gaze and focusing on her dirt smudged hands. "So, um, what happened after I…you know."

"Passed out?" the redhead snapped.

"Oh shut it, Karin!" Suigetsu hissed.

"They're gone," Sasuke explained.

"You let them get away?" Sakura screeched.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "Well excuse me for being too busy trying to revive you."

Sakura clicked her tongue, knowing better than to say anything else. She shifted slightly, wishing the others would sit down as well. She was too exhausted to stand up but she hated the way they looked down at her as they stood above her.

"Well," she changed the topic, playing with a stick lying next to her, "what else happened? Where's that Mist guy?"

His gaze held hers for a moment before he looked away, "He's been taken care of. Did you know him?"

"No," Sakura shook her head. "He said he knew of me though."

Suigetsu snapped his fingers, "Wait a minute—I _do_ know you! You're Haruno Sakura, aren't you? Everyone knows you! You're supposed to be this legendary medic, aren't you?"

Karin snorted, crossing her arms and tilting her head up. "_I've_ never heard of her."

"Stop being such a brat, Karin," Suigetsu hissed. The redhead growled and smacked the back of his head. Sakura's eyes widened as the base of his skull rippled and splashed water everywhere before reforming like nothing had happened.

"That's enough," the Uchiha ordered before Sakura could ask Suigetsu about his…interesting trait. "Sakura needs to rest so she can heal herself and get back to Konoha."

Sakura frowned at that last part, "I really think I—"

"Sakura," he snapped, not even looking back at her as the others trailed off. "Rest."

With a slight pout, the kunoichi scooted over to a large tree and rested her head against the trunk of it, folding her hands and placing them on her stomach. She glanced up at him quickly, surprised to see that he was watching for her to close her eyes before leaving.

She arched an eyebrow and he glared at her. Her eyebrows rose in surprise before she let her eyelids lower once again, slightly amused at their silent conversation. She half considered opening her eyes to slits to see how long Sasuke would stay, but she decided against it.

Maybe if she had, she would have seen his eyes soften slightly in her direction before he finally turned to walk away.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Sakura slept on and off, finally able to catch up on her sleep, as it was hard to get a good eight hours in with the sound of scared girls' screams constantly in the back of her mind. Suigetsu visited her once only to be scared off by Sasuke. She spent the rest of her time either daydreaming or thinking over the past few days' events.

Eventually she felt her chakra levels were well back to normal and finished healing her injuries. Her fingers skimmed over the soft material of the bandages wrapping her torso before she cautiously glanced in the direction of Sasuke and his team. Deciding that no one was going to drop by suddenly, she quickly removed the bandages and healed the gash on her side.

After, she realized she had no shirt to replace the bandages so she had to settle for wrapping herself up once more. Again she wondered if Sasuke had been the one to bandage her. She couldn't imagine anyone else would—there was no way he'd let Suigetsu or Juugo do it and she highly doubted Karin could stand looking at her, let alone touching her.

With a decisive nod, Sakura boosted herself up and wandered over to Sasuke's camp where she found the others. She walked right past Karin, ignoring the icy glare, and stood in front of Sasuke.

"Can we talk?" she asked, her eyes daring him to say no.

He nodded and silently followed her deep into the woods, away from the prying ears of the others. Once she decided they were far away enough, Sakura turned back to him.

"Did you…did you put these on me?" she asked quietly.

Sasuke scowled, looking away from her as he crossed his arms. She was beginning to notice that he got extra grumpy when she'd catch on to things he hadn't wanted her to know about. "Well I wasn't just going to sit there and let you bleed to death."

"Where's my shirt? And my bra." She had to force herself not to blush at the last part—but hey it wasn't like he hadn't already seen everything before.

Wordlessly, he pulled both items out of his haori, her dark bra tucked between the folds of her tunic. Their fingers brushed when he handed the clothing to her, both of them tensing slightly at the contact but continuing to say nothing. Sakura looked down at her clothes, then back up at Sasuke. Was he just going to watch her get dressed? Sure he'd seen her naked before but that didn't mean that she was comfortable enough to undress in front of him!

As it turned out, she didn't need to say anything, as Sasuke grunted at her before turning around to give her her privacy. She smiled softly at his back before hastily unwrapping the bandages and slipping on her bra and top.

"Um, you can turn around now," she said once she was finished, still slightly uncomfortable with the situation. Sasuke moved to face her, quietly regarding her with his hands in his pockets.

"Sasuke?" she started quietly, then set her jaw—what was she doing? She wasn't going to ask him, she was going to _tell_ him! "Sasuke, I'm staying with your team."

"What?" he snapped.

"I'm not going back to Konoha," she plowed on, straightening her spine and planting her hands on her hips. She cursed the fact that he was nearly a head taller than she was and she had to tilt her head back just to make eye contact with him. "In order to find Akatsuki, you need to follow Tenshi. My mission isn't over and we're following the same people, so we might as well work together."

"That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard," Sasuke growled. "You nearly died of blood loss. You need to go back to Konoha and finish healing. You shouldn't be dealing with Akatsuki, it's too dangerous for you."

**Did he just say what I think he said?** Inner Sakura seethed, her eye twitching as her face grew red with fury.

"Damn it, Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, glaring up at him. "I'm not that same little girl you left behind on that fucking bench! I can actually hold my own now!"

"Oh yeah?" he was shouting now too, "Well you didn't seem to be holding your own so well this morning!"

"You conceited bastard! That's not fair! I haven't eaten or slept right in nearly a month and I'm under heavy emotional turmoil with this mission!"

"I could have—"

"Oh what, you could have done better? How could I forget you're the best ninja there ever was! You never make mistakes or let people help you! You're the perfect Uchiha Sasuke! You can do anything!" Sakura was fuming, her chest heaving as she paced around through her tirade. Her eyes landed on a large tree and she stormed over to it, shooting a look back to Sasuke before getting a good grip on each side of the trunk.

"Can you do this, Sasuke?" Hoisting the tree up out of the ground, Sakura held it over her head and threw it some twenty feet away where it landed with a loud rumble, the ground shaking beneath their feet.

"Are you insane?" Sasuke roared, stomping over to her and leaning in so their noses were nearly touching. "Stop messing around and grow up already! I don't want you fighting Akatsuki because I think you're weak, I don't want you to fight them because I don't want you to get hurt!"

Well that sure was a surprise.

"I…what?" she whispered, breathing hard as her brain struggled to understand what he just said.

Apparently his confession had thrown Sasuke off as well, "I mean…I just…damn it, Sakura." He reached forward, grabbing her head in both hands and drew her mouth to his.

**Damn this boy is just full of surprises, isn't he?** Inner Sakura mused dreamily. Sakura's heart was pounding in her chest, sending a fast paced rhythm through her entire body. A wave of heat rushed through her at the feel of Sasuke's dry lips pressed against hers and she came apart.

With a muffled moan, Sakura rose up onto her toes, practically throwing her arms around Sasuke as his arms lowered to her back. She clung to him, her soft curves once more fitting perfectly against his hard body.

He was rougher with her, she noticed, than he had been before. But as his teeth bit at her lips and his tongue surged into her mouth, Sakura found she didn't mind in the least. Especially when one of his large hands slid down her back to cup her ass, pushing her closer to his growing arousal.

They slowly lowered to the ground, Sasuke sliding on top of Sakura again the moment her back hit the grass. She spread her legs for him to rest in, cradling him between her soft thighs. As his lips trailed down her cheek to suck on her neck, Sakura wrapped a leg around his waist, pushing him further into her heat.

Sasuke's mouth jerked away as he grunted, resting his forehead against her shoulder. "So annoying," he groaned under his breath, gently pulsing his hips into hers. For once, Sakura found herself smiling at the phrase.

He pulled up to look at her, actually smiling slightly at the sight of her mischievous grin. Sakura giggled, wrapping her other leg around him and driving his hardness directly to her moist heat. "Something wrong, Sasuke?" She giggled again at the way his jaw clenched as he struggled to maintain control in front of her. Well that wouldn't do any good—she wanted him to lose control with her for once, like he had their first time. She was sick of detached, always-in-control Sasuke.

_Just Sasuke._

Not Uchiha Sasuke. Not the traitor. Not Orochimaru's killer. Not the Uchiha survivor. Not Sasuke-kun.

"Just Sasuke," she murmured.

"What did you say?" Sasuke pulled away from his handiwork on her neck, his bangs tickling her face as he looked down at her.

Her face heated up, "Nothing, I…"

"Say it again."

She blinked up at him before looking—really _looking_—into his eyes and understanding what he meant.

"Sasuke," she whispered and he leaned down, pressing his lips softly to her cheek before spreading the kisses across her face and back down to her neck and collarbone.

"Just Sasuke," she repeated. "I don't want anything else."

He was breathing hard against her body, his back shaking beneath her fingers. Deciding that right now the last thing Sasuke needed was an emotional breakdown, Sakura moved her hands to Sasuke's shoulders and lightly pushed him away. He stared at her in confusion but his face relaxed when he watched as the girl lifted herself up slightly to pull her tunic off. She reached a hand up to cup his cheek, brushing her thumb across the smooth skin before moving it down and tugging his haori open and off his shoulders.

Both shirtless, they moved back down to the grass, their heated mouths meeting once again in a flurry of wet tongues and swollen lips. Sasuke's calloused hands slid up beneath Sakura's bra, squeezing and rubbing at her breasts. She whimpered, pushing her chest up into his grasp as her hands tugged at his thick hair.

Their hips rocked into each other, his hardness grinding against her wet core with every thrust and sending jolts of pleasure up their spines. Sasuke moved his hands to undo her bra and she lifted her arms to help him pull the straps away.

The rest of their clothing was shed in a frenzy as the two young lovers reacquainted themselves with each other's bodies. While their first time had been hazy and dreamlike, almost in slow motion, this time was fast, rough and hot. Heat and lust coursed through their veins like nothing either had ever experienced before.

Hands touched.

Tongues licked.

Hips bucked.

Fingernails scratched.

Lips kissed.

Finally he pushed inside her and she cried out, throwing her head back. Sasuke lowered his head to suckle her breasts, licking the trail of sweat that had developed between them. His teeth lightly bit down on one of her nipples and Sakura nearly lost it.

He moved inside of her, starting out deep and then quickening his thrusts. The feel of her slick, velvety walls clutching at him like a vice nearly had his eyes rolling back. Sakura's legs tightened around his hips and he got an idea.

Slowly removing his lips from her delectable chest, Sasuke reached down and unwound one of her legs from his hips, keeping his gaze on hers to gauge her reaction. His hand traced down her leg, gripping her calf and drawing it up over his shoulder. Sakura was slightly confused with his actions, but said nothing, choosing instead to wait and see what he was planning.

Sasuke's heated eyes stared down at her, turning almost playful before he thrust into her. She hadn't believed it could be possible, but he was actually reaching even deeper inside her.

Sakura gasped at the new sensation, so _that's_ what he was planning.

Waiting for her response, Sasuke smirked when Sakura gripped at his shoulders before pulling him closer with her other leg. He continued his powerful rhythm inside of her, the pleasure multiplying tenfold with this new position.

Soon Sakura was a writhing, whimpering puddle of lust. All it took was a few strokes on her clit on his part and the young woman broke apart, crying out with her release. The feel of her hot walls clenching his length drew him over the edge and with a final thrust he spilled inside her.

He drew her leg away from his shoulder, smirking at her when she whimpered breathlessly at the feel of him twitch inside her with the movement. Still delirious from her climax, Sakura only lightly smacked his chest before closing her eyes once again, smiling softly to herself.

Sasuke rolled away from her, pulling her up to his chest and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Sakura hummed quietly in content and rested her head on his shoulder. They were still panting slightly, their heaving chests calming down as their heartbeats slowed.

"I…suppose you can stay for a while," Sasuke said quietly after a long pause.

Sakura snorted—well that was hardly the response the Uchiha had been going for.

"You just want me around for the sex," she teased, leaning up on her elbow and looking down at him. Her tousled hair draped over one shoulder and the setting sun gleamed from behind her, making her look almost ethereal—and beautiful. _So_ beautiful.

"Tch," Sasuke scowled, looking away from her sparkling emerald eyes. "I don't like the idea of you fighting Akatsuki, but I don't doubt that you can hold your own against them."

Sakura grinned, reaching out and stroking his bangs out of his eyes. "And you enjoy my company, right?"

"Hn."

She giggled, feeling suddenly light and giddy at the new intimacy she had with Sasuke. She kissed his cheek once and he arched his head up to meet her lips with his own. Sakura moaned lightly, cupping his jaw with both hands. Shifting onto her knees, she moved to straddle Sasuke, bringing one hand down to clutch at his shoulder.

The feel of something wet and sticky between her thighs against his stomach made Sasuke tense suddenly. He knew _exactly_ what that wet and sticky something was. And damn it, this was the second time they didn't use protection.

_Fuck._ His hands slid up to her shoulders and gently pushed the girl away from him. "Mph, Sakura, stop…"

Her face showed her confusion, "What? What's wrong?"

"Sakura, we haven't…when we…" His hands slid down to her inner thighs and Sakura's eyes widened.

"Oh? Oh!" She shifted on him slightly, feeling the sticky slickness coating her thighs and his stomach for herself. "Um, we don't have to worry about that."

"What?" he snapped—they'd had sex twice in the past twenty-four hours with no kind of protection. Kami, if she got pregnant and Itachi found out…

"—Sasuke? Sasuke, listen to me," he focused on her voice, his onyx eyes meeting her worried ones. Her hands traced the black mark circling her navel, "Do you see this? It's not just some tattoo…"

His fingers covered hers, tracing over the small circle. The design looked faintly familiar, "A seal?"

"Tsunade-shishou put it on me for the mission—it stops ovulation," she smiled slightly at the confused look in his eyes. "Basically it means I'm not even producing eggs for my cycle. There's a zero percent chance of pregnancy."

"So…we're good then."

"Yep!" she nodded quickly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "In fact," she leaned forward with a sly look on her face, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling his nose with her own. "Right now, we're more than good…"

* * *

Sakura winced as she pulled her pants up over her legs, damn she was going to be sore for a week! She noticed Sasuke smirking at her from the corner of her eye and scowled at him. This was all his fault! Sure she was the one who initiated their second round, but he didn't have to go and start the third one!

Continuing to mutter under her breath, Sakura pulled on the rest of her clothing hastily before following Sasuke back to his team. The three looked surprised to see her, but no one said anything.

"Sakura will be coming with us to complete her mission," he said, once again using that monotone of his.

As Sakura expected, Karin scoffed from across the campfire. "So what, you can't complete a mission on your own so you're just going to use us to clean up the mess you made?"

The three males glared at her but Sakura paid them no attention. Instead she stepped forward and glared back at the other girl. "So you think I'm weak for asking others for help? Does that mean Sasuke is weak too? I mean, that's what he's doing with you guys, isn't it?"

Like they were watching a tennis match, the others looked from one female to the other, waiting to see how Karin responded. Seeing Sasuke look to her, her face heated up instantly as she grew flustered.

Sakura continued, "I wonder if you're not upset because I'm coming with you, but because you're jealous Sasuke wants me around."

Karin's jaw opened and closed so much she looked like a fish out of water. Suigetsu and Juugo smirked as Sakura kept up her tirade, "Did you know about our history? Mine and Sasuke's? We've known each other since we were kids—we were teammates, even. And you know what? He's needed me long before he even knew you existed."

Everyone turned to see Karin's reaction—she scoffed, opening her mouth to deliver a comeback that never came. Instead she crossed her arms and growled before stalking off into the woods.

Juugo let out a badly held back chuckle and Suigetsu whooped, pumping his fist in the air as they watched the redhead storm away. "Sakura-chan, you're my new favorite person!"

Sakura couldn't help but grin, folding her hands behind her and letting out a breath to ease the remaining tension in her body. She turned to Sasuke, who arched a dark eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

Eventually Karin returned—Suigetsu slyly commented to a giggling Sakura that she probably smelled dinner—and once the fire burned low they got ready for bed. Everyone spread out to different sides around the campfire and quietly drifted to sleep.

Sakura didn't know what to do. She wanted to sleep next to Sasuke, but knew better than to snuggle up to him. They both agreed it was for the best to hide their relationship—whatever it was—from the others. He seemed to pick up on her uncertainty, because he looked up at her from his spot on the ground and flattened out the blanket he was lying on a little more, creating just enough space for her small body to fit on.

Glancing back at the others, Sakura smiled down at him and lay down next to him. They remained untouching, but she could feel his body next to hers, only inches away. Looking over at him once more, she nodded to him as means of saying good night before drifting into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

**So my all-time record for reviews for a story is 590 for **_**Where the Heart Is**_**. **_**Luck of the Draw**_** has 576. Please, please, **_**please**_** make my day and help me break that record! I'll dedicate the next chapter to whoever does it!**


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